National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals? (WARP) July 17, 2013 (workshop)

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National Crisis: Where are
the Radiation Professionals?
(WARP)
July 17, 2013 (workshop)
U.S. Department of Energy / Oak Ridge Institute for Science
& Education
Suite 300
4301 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Virginia
July 18, 2013 (writing committee)
National Council on Radiation Protection & Measurements
Suite 400
7910 Woodmont Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland
National Crisis: Where are
the Radiation Professionals?
(WARP)
Table of Contents
Agenda................................................................................................................................ 2
Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... 4
NCRP Statement ............................................................................................................... 7
Introduction and Opening Remarks – John Boice .............................................................. 13
Back to the Future – John Villforth ..................................................................................... 20
HPS Task Force Report and Survey – Kathryn Pryor ........................................................ 45
APS Nuclear Workforce Readiness Report – Lynne Fairobent ......................................... 51
Federal Agencies
CDC – Robert Whitcomb ......................................................................................... 63
DHS – Mark Wrobel ................................................................................................ 66
DOD/USUHS-AFRRI – Chad Mitchell and David Lesser ........................................ 70
DOE – Daniel Blumenthal ....................................................................................... 73
DOE/HSS – Patricia Worthington ............................................................................ 75
DOE/Office of Science – Noelle Metting ................................................................. 78
EPA – Alan Perrin .................................................................................................. 81
FDA – Michael Noska ............................................................................................ 83
HHS/REMM – Julie Sullivan and Judith Bader ...................................................... 84
NCI – Martha Linet ................................................................................................. 87
NIH – Bert Maidment ............................................................................................... 88
NRC – Steven Schaffer ........................................................................................... 91
Professional Societies
AAPM – Per Halvorsen ........................................................................................... 94
ABR/ABRF – Paul Wallner ...................................................................................... 97
ACR – Edward Bluth ............................................................................................... 101
ASTRO – Andrew Salner ........................................................................................ 103
CRCPD – David Allard ............................................................................................ 106
HPS – Kathryn Pryor ............................................................................................... 109
NEI – Ralph Andersen ............................................................................................ 112
NRRPT – Karen Barcal .......................................................................................... 113
RRS – Kathryn Held ................................................................................................ 115
Universities
Health Physics/ABET – Richard Brey, Idaho State University ................................ 118
Medical Physics/CAMPEP – Joann Prisciandaro, University of Michigan .............. 121
Harvard/MGH – Pari Pandhaipande ....................................................................... 123
Institute for Nuclear Security – John Crapo ............................................................ 125
ORAU/ORISE – NE and HP Programs – John Crapo ............................................ 127
Oregon State – Kathryn Higley ............................................................................... 131
University of Pennsylvania – Sydney Evans ........................................................... 133
Private Sector
Dade Moeller – John Fomous ................................................................................. 135
Radiation Safety and Control Services – Fred Straccia .......................................... 137
Risk Assessment Corporation – John Till ............................................................... 139
Mel Chew and Associates – Richard Toohey ......................................................... 141
Categories of Radiation Professionals ................................................................................ 143
Attendees List ..................................................................................................................... 144 AGENDA
NATIONAL CRISIS: WHERE ARE THE RADIATION PROFESSIONALS?
July 17-18, 2013
DOE/ORISE
4301 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300
Arlington, Virginia
&
NCRP Headquarters
7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 400
Bethesda, Maryland
(Facilitators: Richard Toohey and John Crapo)
Introduction
The community of radiation users, researchers, educators and regulators is concerned
about the dwindling number of professionals in practically all areas of radiation. This
crisis will continue to worsen as the projected demand continues to increase. There have
been individual efforts by professional organizations and Federal agencies to address this
loss of expertise in radiation science, but most efforts have been narrowly focused and
not coordinated. As the Congressionally chartered organization charged to advise the
U.S. government on radiation-related issues, NCRP believes this national crisis must be
addressed now and has begun a coordinated, broad-based, and comprehensive effort to
define the situation and propose realistic and achievable solutions.
With the acronym WARP (Where Are the Radiation Professionals?), NCRP with support
from the DOE is holding a workshop on 17 July 2013 for stakeholders from four affected
sectors: federal agencies, professional societies, universities, and the private sector. After
a series of brief presentations, each group of stakeholders will convene to discuss
proposed ways forward and then report back to the entire group. These reports will form
the basis for an NCRP Statement on the “National Crisis: Where are the Radiation
Professionals and What Must be Done?”
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 (DOE/ORISE)
7:45-8:15
Registration/Check-in
Opening Session – A Look Back and Overview of the Current Issues
8:15-8:45
Introductions and Opening Remarks
John Boice
8:45-9:15
Back to the Future
John Villforth
9:15-9:30
HPS Task Force Report and Survey
Kathryn Pryor
9:30-9:45
APS Nuclear Workforce Readiness Report
Lynne Fairobent
9:45-10:00
Break
1
Federal Agency Perspectives – Operational Needs and Education Programs (Richard
Toohey)
10:00-12:00
Federal Agencies present quad charts (5 min. each)
CDC
DHS
DOD/USUHS-AFRRI
DOE
DOE/HSS
DOE/Office of Science
EPA
FDA
HHS/REMM
NCI
NIH
NRC
White House
12:00-1:00
Robert Whitcomb
Mark Wrobel
Chad Mitchell and David Lesser
Daniel Blumenthal
Patricia Worthington
Noelle Metting
Alan Perrin
Michael Noska
Julie Sullivan and Judith Bader
Martha Linet
Bert Maidment
Steven Schaffer
Cindy Atkins-Duffy, summary comments
Working Lunch and Discussion of Morning Presentations
Professional Society Perspectives - Membership and Education Programs (Richard
Toohey)
1:00-2:15
AAPM
ABR
ACR
ASTRO
CRCPD
HPS
NEI
NRRPT
RRS
Professional Societies present quad charts (5 min each)
Per Halvorsen
Paul Wallner
Edward Bluth
Andrew Salner
David Allard
Kathryn Pryor
Ralph Andersen
Karen Barcal
Kathryn Held
University Perspectives – Issues Related to Faculty, Students, Research, Funding, etc.
(John Crapo)
2:15-3:00
Universities present quad charts (5 min each)
Health Physics/ABET
Medical Physics/CAMPEP
Harvard/MGH
Institute for Nuclear Security
ORAU/ORISE – NE and HP Programs
Oregon State
University of Pennsylvania
Richard Brey, Idaho State
Joann Prisciandaro, University of Michigan
Pari Pandhaipande
John Crapo
John Crapo
Kathryn Higley
Sydney Evans
2
Private Sector Perspectives (J. Crapo)
3:00-3:30
Private Sector present quad charts (5 min each)
Dade Moeller
Radiation Safety and Control Services
Risk Assessment Corporation
Mel Chew and Associates
John Fomous
Fred Straccia
John Till
Richard Toohey
Breakout Sessions
3:30-4:30
Facilitators and Questions to be Addressed
Federal Agencies
Professional Societies
Universities
Private Sector
Daniel Blumenthal
David Allard
Richard Brey
John Fomous
Proposed Discussion Questions:
1. What are the current and future employment prospects for radiation professionals
across all practice areas/disciplines?
2. What is the mix of education and skill levels needed in each sector (i.e., what
level of training is needed for radiation professionals in government, industry,
medicine, etc.)?
3. Do current academic programs adequately cover anticipated needed skills such as
radiobiology and emergency response? If not, is cross-training of radiation
professionals needed and how can it be implemented?
4. How can we attract students into the training programs, especially women and
underrepresented ethnic groups?
5. What are potential sources of financial support for education and training
programs, including internships and practicums?
6. How can job creation be linked to the training program?
7. What types of cross-training programs are needed for other safety professionals
such as industrial hygienists and safety engineers who may have radiation duties?
8. What are key factors to engaging and retaining bright young minds as radiation
professionals? What are the primary professions that compete for these people
and what are the keys to their success in engaging and retaining them?
9. How can current expertise be “captured” before it “decays” away?
Report Outs, discussion (Richard Toohey)
answers)
(45 minutes, 15 minutes each to summarize
4:30-5:15
Federal Agencies
Professional Societies
Universities
Private Sector
Daniel Blumenthal
David Allard
Richard Brey
John Fomous
3
Summary
5:15-5:30
Richard Toohey and John Crapo
Adjourn
Abbreviations
AAPM – American Association of Physicists in Medicine
ABET – Accreditation Board on Engineering and Technology
ABR – American Board of Radiology
ACR – American College of Radiology
ASTRO – American Society for Radiation Oncology
AFRRI – Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
APS – American Physical Society
CAMPEP - Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs, Inc.
CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CRCPD – Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors
DHS – Department of Homeland Security
DoD – Department of Defense
DOE – Department of Energy
DOE/HSS – Department of Energy Office of Health, Safety and Security
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
FDA – Food and Drug Administration
HHS/REMM – Health and Human Services/Radiation Event Medical Management
HP – Health Physics
HPS – Health Physics Society
MGH – Massachusetts General Hospital
NCI – National Cancer Institute
NE – Nuclear Engineering
NEI – Nuclear Energy Institute
NIH – National Institutes of Health
NRC – Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NRRPT – National Registry of Radiation Protection Technologists
ORAU/ORISE – Oak Ridge Associated Universities / Oak Ridge Institute for Science
RRS – Radiation Research Society
USUHS – Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
4
Thursday, July 18, 2013 (NCRP Headquarters)
Writing Committee/Webinar:
Federal Agencies
Daniel Blumenthal
Professional Societies
David Allard - phone
Universities
Richard Brey
Private Sector
John Fomous - phone
John Boice
Dick Toohey
John Crapo
John Till
Norm Coleman
Judy Bader
Mike Noska
Kathy Pryor
Liana Watson (phone)
Robert Whitcomb
Eric Bernhard
Bert Maidment
Dave Schauer
Others? – All invited to contribute!
8:30-12:30
Re-cap from Session facilitators
Goals and Approaches
Types of training required
Accreditation?
Preparation for NAS participation on July 19, 2013 (National Academy of Sciences study
on research directions in human biological effects of low level ionizing radiation) – John
Boice, Chad Mitchell, Mike Noska, Dave Schauer, John Crapo
NCRP WARP STATEMENT DRAFT OUTLINE
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction: a brief history of radiation professional training and needs
3. Current and near-future radiation professional needs
a. Government
b. Medicine
c. Nuclear Power
d. Research (e.g. radiobiology, epidemiology)
e. Emergency response
f. Environmental
4. Current training programs and radiation professional production
a. Universities (U.S and overseas)
b. Military services
c. Alternate training programs/cross-training
5. Possible actions to prevent a shortfall of radiation professionals
5
a. Student recruiting
b. Student support
c. Student and young professional retention
d. Professional development programs
e. Clearing house for positions available
6. WARP recommendations.
7. Appendices
a. Quad charts by sector
i. Professional societies
ii. Government agencies
iii. Colleges and universities
iv. Private sector
b. Other?
Lunch/Adjourn
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Congressional Charter of the NCRP in
1964 as A Nonprofit Organization of Scientists to Address the Needs of the
Nation in All Things Radiation
2014 Annual Meeting
NCRP – Achievements of the Past 50 Years and Addressing
the Needs of the Future
Kenneth R. Kase, Chair
John D. Boice, Jr. & Jerrold T. Bushberg, Co-Chairs
March 10–11, 2014
Bethesda, Maryland
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NCRP – WARP – July 1, 2013
NCRP Statement.
National Crisis: Where Are the Radiation Professionals? (WARP)
Purpose. To provide a comprehensive plan to replenish the nation’s dwindling number of radiation
professionals in all areas: government, medicine, private sector, industry, biological and radiation research,
epidemiology, emergency response, homeland defense, risk modeling and assessment, regulations, cleanup, military and many associated fields. A nationally-coordinated effort is envisioned to educate, train,
engage and retain radiation protection professionals to meet the radiation-related needs of the nation.
Approach. A one day meeting is planned for July 17, 2013 at the DOE/ORISE/ORAU facilities: 4301
Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203, hosted by DOE. The meeting will be followed by a smaller working group
session the next day to draft a five page “statement” with appendices to represent the “business plan” and
roadmap on how to move forward with a national effort to meet the nation’s human capital crisis. The
statement will be circulated to participants for comment and is envisioned to be published as an NCRP
document. The issues will be revisited in a year’s time to learn whether any impact has come from these
efforts and how the approach might be improved.
Areas to Address. Each organization will be asked to make a brief 5-9 minute presentation with 1 or 2
slides maximum describing “mission”, “resources and needs” and “wish list”. A quad chart is envisioned:
who they are, what they do, how they do it, and what their needs are, (and a wish list). There will be
breakout sessions and some topics to consider for starters include, but are not limited to:
1. What are the current and future employment prospects for radiation professionals across all practice
areas/disciplines?
2. What is the mix of education and skill levels needed in each sector (i.e., what level of training is
needed for radiation professionals in government, industry, medicine, etc.)?
3. Do current academic programs adequately cover anticipated needed skills such as radiobiology and
emergency response? If not, is cross-training of radiation professionals needed and how can it be
implemented?
4. How can we attract students into the training programs, especially women and underrepresented
ethnic groups?
5. What are potential sources of financial support for education and training programs, including
internships and practicums?
6. How can job creation be linked to the training program?
7. What types of cross-training programs are needed for other safety professionals such as industrial
hygienists and safety engineers who may have radiation-related duties?
8. What are key factors to engaging and retaining bright young minds as radiation professionals? What
are the primary professions that compete for these people and what are the keys to their success in
engaging and retaining them?
9. How can current expertise be “captured” before it “decays” away?
Steering Committee. Eric Bernhard (NCI), Dan Blumenthal (NNSA), John Boice (NCRP), Norm Coleman
(NIH), Bert Maidment (NIAID), Charles Miller (CDC), Mike Noska (FDA), Dave Schauer (NCRP), Dick
Toohey (Chew Assoc), Bob Whitcomb (CDC)
Timeline: 3 months to indefinite.
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NCRP – WARP – July 1, 2013
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND REFERENCES
Background.
The human capital crisis continues to deepen. Government agencies, radiation societies, universities and
the private sector are aware of the shortages but to date there has not been a national effort to provide an
overall solution. The stresses faced in addressing the Fukushima nuclear reactor accident brought to light
the need for radiation experts (Coleman 2013). The shortage of such experts was brought into vivid focus
when the United States was “unable to identify a sufficient number of radiation experts” to satisfy agencyspecific domestic needs, participate in the U.S.-based Advisory Team, and still deploy staff to Tokyo (Miller
2012). But the human capital crisis is more pervasive than just emergency response (REMM 2013). There
are insufficient numbers of radiation health experts and radiation professionals at a time in history when the
uses and exposures to radiation are expanding rapidly in medicine, electrical power generation, weapons
development, environmental contamination and remediation (NAS 2013; APS 2008).
There have been and continue to be ongoing initiatives to shore up the dwindling workforce of radiation
health professionals. This brief summary is not intended to list them all or to describe the crushing needs.
Suffice it to say that there are recognized shortages:
“The demand for a nuclear workforce for medicine, health physics, and energy is certainly not
decreasing. All of these areas are important for national and world security and prosperity, yet their
increasing needs come at a time when the nuclear workforce is shrinking” (NAS 2013).
These shortages are seen in medicine (Rosenstein 2009; Mills 2010; Thomadsen 2004); industry (NEI
2013; Ahearne 2012); health physics (HPS 2008, 2010; ORISE 2008; Nelson 2004); emergency response
(Miller 2012); government (Miller 2012; NRC 2006) and radiation science (Coleman 2003, 2013). Training
programs should be expanded and new programs created (MEIR 2013; ORISE REAC/TS 2013; Navy 2013;
NRC 2006, 2013; HPS 2010; NIEHS 2013; DOE 2013). The bench of radiation experts is thin to nearly
empty. The pipeline has gone from a gusher in the 1960s to a dribble in 2013.
There need to be jobs waiting at the end of the educational tunnel to retain the educated and trained young
professionals of today (Ahearne 2012).
Short Bullets – The Needs of the Many
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The need increases while human experts are decreasing. As the need for well educated and trained
graduates is intensifying, the enrollments and focused academic and training programs in radiation
sciences are declining.
Need to maintain leadership. Well-educated people in science and technology are needed to meet
growing needs in government (NRC, EPA, DOE, etc.), medicine, industry, and homeland defense
and to maintain the United States as a world leader in radiation science and technology.
Keeping the old is only a short term fix. Engaging and retaining older workers has provided a stop
gap measure to meet the nation’s needs, but the gene pool of those on Medicare is quickly being
depleted.
Can agencies meet their responsibilities? The Nuclear/Radiological Incident Annex (NRIA) to the
National Response Framework (NRF) describes the responsibilities of 14 Federal agencies to
handle the immediate response and short-term recovery activities for radiological incidents involving
releases of radioactive materials and their consequences. The core of radiation experts is depleted
and without immediate action the Federal agencies will be unable, hard pressed at best, to fulfill their
responsibilities, including Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) (NRIA 2008).
4 critical R’s. A human crisis can occur when one of the four Rs is not addressed: Recruitment,
Resources, Retention and Retirement (Nelson 2004). None of these are being addressed
sufficiently to have much of a future impact. We need to train, engage and retain young
professionals now!
Go Navy. There are a number of effective program. For example, the U.S. Navy Nuclear
Operations program requires, hires and retains skilled nuclear technicians, power plant operators
and subsystems specialists. These hands-on professionals perform the complex technical functions
that are at the core of nuclear sub and carrier capabilities (US Navy 2013).
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NCRP – WARP – July 1, 2013
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DOE Low-Dose Research Program. As recent events have shown, lack of knowledge is far more
expensive than the relatively modest dollar investment to support this Program. “Reducing resources
to understand the effects of radiation exposure to humans will inevitably fuel unwarranted public
stress and worry. Sustained funding of this successful effort has paid, and will continue to pay, a
substantial societal benefit that expands knowledge of low-dose radiation effects and informs public
policy” (Barcellos-Hoff 2011).
NIEHS and DOE. The NIEHS Worker Education and Training Program (WETP), in partnership with
the Department of Energy Environmental Management Program, has supported qualified domestic
nonprofit organizations to develop and administer model health and safety education programs for
hazardous materials or waste workers within the nuclear weapons complex (NIEHS 2013).
NRC needs and programs. The NRC continues to be challenged by an aging workforce complicated
by substantial increase in new work at a time when senior experts are increasingly eligible to retire.
To mitigate the impact of this challenge, the Agency has developed human capital strategies to find,
attract, and retain critical-skill staff. Furthermore, the Agency is being assisted in this effort by the
Energy Policy Act (EPAct), which authorized NRC to fund scholarships, fellowships, and support
grants to universities to partially support nuclear engineering and science programs that contribute
to the availability of highly skilled graduates (NRC 2006, 2008).
How to meet the changing needs of the nation? Safety-related radiation training programs that exist
for Federal staff to provide regulatory oversight activities continually need to be improved to meet
the changing needs of the nation and world circumstances (OIG 2013). The Institute for Radiation
Security (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) is an encouraging new initiative (IRS 2013).
Even medical physicists are in short supply. The expanding needs for medical physicists is tied to
retirement, the increased incidence of cancer in our aging society, and the new and sophisticated
modalities used to treat patients (Mills 2010; Thomadsen 2004).
Industry can’t expand without professionals. The U.S. nuclear energy industry will need thousands
of workers for the future to replace retirees and to build and operate new nuclear plants (NEI 2010).
The federal government also will need nuclear workers in the future in its laboratories, the military
and government programs.
U.S. is losing intellectual leadership. “U.S. loss of its intellectual leadership in nuclear science would
gravely compromise its ability to capitalize on future discoveries in this critical area of science. It
would also negatively impact the U.S. economy and safety as the country would not benefit from
new technological developments in the field and would lose workforce trained in nuclear techniques”
(NAS 2013).
Radiation biologists are diminishing. Surveys of ASTRO, RRS, ABR, ACGME, ACR and ACRO
conclude that programs in radiation biology are sorely “needed to supply future educators for
radiation oncology, radiology, and nuclear medicine programs, as well as to supply the radiation
biologists needed for many other areas, including translational research related to radiation oncology
and mitigation of radiation injuries, diagnostic imaging, regulatory affairs, and homeland security”
(Rosenstein 2009).
A Manhattan Project for a Radiation Profession Corps? We need resources to support training,
engaging and retaining radiation professionals so that the U.S. can be more resilient in the future.
One overarching objective is to be able to respond to emergency needs in the future, scientific
needs in the future, regulatory needs in the future, and so many other needs in medicine,
environmental remediation, risk assessment, nuclear security and communication. Multidisciplinary
cross-disciplinary approaches are needed (INS 2013).
The way it was. There was a golden era in the 1960s and 1970s when the U.S. represented a
dynamo of radiation activities with fellowships, training institutes, vibrant national laboratories. We
were on top of the world producing the professionals needed for our dynamic society. Those days
are gone and we would like to “return to the way it was”. “Back to the Future” !
The time is now! Who will address these needs? If not “you”, then who? If not “now”, then when?
It is a national crisis that has been recognized for some time (Nelson 2004) and now is the time to
act! Put aside all differences, all fears, all worries, and just go for it – leave a legacy for the future
before it’s too late. Seize the day and find the funds! A national coordinated effort is needed.
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NCRP – WARP – July 1, 2013
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Thomadsen B. The shortage of radiotherapy physicists. J Am Coll Radiol. 2004 Apr;1(4):280-2. Available
at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17411581 Accessed May 8, 2013.
U.S. Navy Nuclear Operations. Available at: http://www.navy.com/careers/nuclear-energy/nuclearoperations.html Accessed May 8, 2013.
11
NCRP – WARP – July 1, 2013
12
13
WARP Goal
A “Manhattan Project”
to replenish the
dwindling, if not
exhausted, supply of
radiation professionals
in the United States
14
WARP Approach
July 17 workshop with
representatives from:
• 25 government
• 11 professional societies
• 7 universities
• 4 private sector
• 3 NCRP
• A National Effort
15
A Clarion Call
• i
NATIONAL CRISIS:
WHERE ARE THE RADIATION
PROFESSIONALS? (WARP)

A National Effort is
Needed.

Government,
Universities, Private
Sector, Military,
Societies, Clinical –
Everyone.
PLANNED WORKSHOP – July
 FDA, CDC, DOE, NRC, NCI
 HHS, DADE MOELLER, MEL CHEW
 RAC, NEI, ORAU, RRS, HPS
 NNSA, NIH, NIAID, many more
16
WARP Next Step
•
•
•
•
Draft document July 18
Circulate to WARP participants
NCRP statement approval
Distribution including multiple
journal publications
• Discussions with
decision/policy makers
• WARP-ipedia
17
WARP Follow-Up
• July 19 - NAS Committee on
research directions in human
biological effects of low level
ionizing radiation
• Possible future conference
• Reconvene workshop a year
from now – how did we do?
• NCRP presentations or entire
Annual Meeting on WARP
18
WARP Introductions
• Name, rank,
and serial
number
• Brief be
and take
a seat !
19
Back to the Future:
Evolution of Radiological Health Manpower
Presented at the NCRP Workshop, July 17, 2013.
National Crisis: Where Are the Radiation Professional ? (WARP)
John C. Villforth, Retired Former Director,
FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health
240‐361‐3187 [email protected]
20
How I become a “Radiological Health‐er”
USAF, 1954‐1961: Sanitary & Industrial
Hygiene Officer in the Medical Service Corps
‐Decontaminating aircraft from fallout; Electron tube disposal; ‐Attended USPHS short course training in Basic Rad Health
‐Attended USAEC Fellowship Program: Vanderbilt &ORNL , 1956‐58
‐Assigned to USAF Rad Health Lab, W‐PAFB as the first USAF Health Physicist. 1958‐61
‐‐ Secretary of USAF AEC materials licensing committee
‐‐ responsible for USAF‐wide film dosimeter program. ‐‐ Radar site and microwave evaluation
‐‐ Radiation accident investigation
21
How I became a “Radiological Health‐er”
USPHS, Division/Bureau of Rad Health, Rockville, MD; 1961 ‐1972
‐ Nationwide Fallout State surveillance network ‐ Radioactive materials program, Radium
‐ Medical and Occupational Radiation Program, including x‐rays in healing arts
‐ Involved in State training program.
‐ Director of the Bureau of Rad Health in USPHS 1969 and FDA 1972
FDA, Center Devices and Radiological Health 1972 –’90
22
Early USPHS Activities in Radiation Protection
• 1922‐23 –Effects of Exposure
at NBS Radium Calibration • 1930 ‐ Radium Dial Painters
Investigation
• 1943 ‐ Radiation Exposure
at 43 Hospitals
• 1944‐46 ‐ Photofluorographic
X‐ray Machines for TB
• 1946 – NIH Animal Studies
23
USPHS and “Radiological Health?”
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1946 ‐ Term “Radiological Health” established
1949 ‐ AEC‐PHS Cooperative Studies
1950 ‐ Radiation Training Program Expanded
1952 ‐ PHS Officer Assigned to State HD
1953 ‐ Off‐Site Monitoring at Nevada Test Site
1955 ‐ Assistance to AEC’s Naval Reactors 1956 ‐ National Fallout Surveillance Program
1958 – SG’s Established “NACOR”
1959 – Fed Rad Council Established by President
24
Public Anxiety Drove Programs
25
Stimulants to the Early “Radiological Health Program”
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hiroshima
Threat of USSR and the Cold War
AEC: Regulator or a Promoter?
Weapons Testing and Fallout
Uncertainties of the Effects of Radiation
State Health Departments: On the Front Line
Public Anxiety becomes Congressional Concern
Congressional Concern Results in Action Programs
26
The Division of Radiological Health: crated by the Department in July 1958
27
…with these Functions
28
Radiological Health Manpower
Resources: 1949 through 1959
900
800
700
500
400
300
Staff: FTEs
600
200
100
0
‘49
‘59
‘69
‘79
29
There Was a Need for Trained Professionals
In the PHS, Government, States & Academia by…
‐‐ Training Grants to Universities (20 to 35 institutions)
‐‐ Research Grants, which also supported students (20 to 100 institutions)
‐‐ Short Course (1 and 2 week classes)Training
at four Rad Health Facilities: MD, MA, AL, NV ( as many as 100 class weeks per year)
‐‐ On‐the‐Job Training: Assignment to States, and Reserve Commissioned Corps
30
Through the ‘60s, Public Anxiety was Increasing…
• Color TV sets leaked X‐rays – ‘67
‐Surgeon General advise, “Sit 6’ to 8’ from a TV”
• Microwaves and Lasers:
‐ consumer products
• Medical Radiation: ‐increased use and dose
• USSR Weapons Testing, ‐ ‘61 ‐ High altitude, world‐wide Fallout ‐ 1961
31
The Result…
*Rad Health Training Grants, 1962‐’72 *
*Rad Health Research Grants, 1962‐’82
*Congressional Hearings:
‐‐ Joint Committee on Atomic Energy – Fallout
‐‐ Committee on Commerce, Science and Transport –
Oversight of Radiation Health and Safety
‐‐ Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act , Oct 1968
Control over “Electronic Product” Radiation
*Grants transferred to EPA in 1972
32
Lets Look at an Example of a Problem…
1967 Unnecessary X‐rays found in Color TV sets
Poor Quality Control in manufacturing
Surgeon General Issued Warning
Public concerned about Exposure
Congress held Hearings
Experts Testified about other Machine Produced Radiation; e.g., Lasers, Microwaves, X‐rays
No Federal Laws regulate these Devices
Congress Passed the Radiation Control Act (Oct 1968) to regulate these devices.
•
•
•
•
•
•
33
Let’s Turn to the Public Health Service
Radiological Health Resources: 1949 through 1968
900
800
700
500
400
300
Staff: FTEs
600
200
100
0
‘49
‘59
‘69
‘79
34
Ionizing Radiation Staff were Diverted to all aspects of Non‐Ionizing Radiations?
•
•
•
•
•
To measure these radiation – in the lab and in the field
Study the biological effects of these radiations
To develop standards to minimize the radiations
To inform the industry what is needed for safety
Be able to justify compliance and enforcement
Where do you fine find scientists who understand these non‐
ionizing products and also understands the Public Health consequences of their use?
35
Dispersion of Federal Radiation Functions
*AEC was split into DoE and NRC
*EPA was formed by Presidential Reorganization 1971
*DHEW Environmental Functions Transferred to EPA (air, water, solid waste and 318 Rad Health FTEs transferred to EPA)
*BRH’s remaining 389 FTEs transferred to FDA
36
The Public Health Service
Radiological Health Resources: through 1980s
1972 EPA Formed
900
800
700
600
500
PHS FTEs
400
300
200
100
0
‘49
‘59
‘69
‘79
37
And Then What Happened?
• The regulation of “Electronic Products” (X‐rays, Microwaves, Lasers, Ultrasound, etc,) stayed with FDA/BRH.
• FDA Consolidated BRH and Medical Devices into CDRH in 1982
• Medical Device Regulation Absorbed Funds and Manpower from Rad Health
• Historical Rad Health Programs – including Training and Research activities – were not supported.
38
Good News: State Radiological Health Programs have Carried the Day, but they must be supported.
The first meeting of the State Radiation Program Directors – March 1969, Montgomery,
Alabama. Today, the CRCPD has ~1,000 members representing all the State public health programs including the 37 of the NRC Agreement States 39
What Has Made all this Work
• The dose‐response curve: We could measure it and refine it and produce guidelines
• There is a real fear of the effects radiation
• Being in Radiological Health gave one a purpose, “to reduce the effects of radiation”
• And the Agency had the Tools to make it happen:
–
–
–
–
Laws (Authority)
Budget
Collaboration with other organizations
Radiation Professionals as Leaders
But if we don’t have Radiation Professionals,
Can we Keep Protecting People?
40
Acknowledgement: Capt. James G. Terrill, Jr. A leader in Radiological Health and mentor to many of us, wrote the report: “The Role of the U.S. Public Health Service in Radiological Health: 1946 – 1969” which covers the evolution of this program.
DHHS Publication FDA 82‐8198 (Sept 1982)
41
Radiological Health Manpower as a Possible Model for "WARP" by John C. Villforth, Former Director, FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health NCRP Symposium, National Crisis: Where Are the Radiation Professionals? (WARP) July 17, 2013 It is appropriate for NCRP to examine the question of "Where are the Radiation Professionals" (WARP) when the potential problems that are facing the professionals are as great now as in the Cold War period. Perhaps some insight into how one important group of radiation professionals was formed and contributed might offer some clues that could be applied to possible solutions. Let's look at the "gusher in the 1960s" as the NCRP pointed out. The term "radiation professionals" in this symposium title is necessarily broad to includes all specialties involving radiation and in all areas of employment. But the inconclusiveness of the term may be so great that there may not be an easy solution. The National Research Council report (NAS 2013) focuses on the uncertain future of nuclear and radiochemistry expertise, for medicine, health physics and energy in government, industry and academia ‐ a very big order. There is one category of radiation professional that has not been adequately recognized and analyzed ‐ the "radiological health professional". That term was coined in the Spring of 1948 (The Role of the U.S. Public Health Service in Radiological Health: 1946‐1969, HHS Publication FDA 82‐8198) by a group of PHS leaders, including James G. Terrill, Jr., the Director of the organization that was variously known as the Division of Rad Health (DRH), the Bureau of Rad Health (BRH) and since 1982, as FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). The term radiological health is almost as difficult to understand as health physicist, but in the late 1940s, following the Atomic Energy Commission formation, and during the US weapons testing activities, there was some confusion within the USPHS as to where the public health aspects of radiation protection should be established ‐ in the occupational health program or the environmental health program. The ubiquitous nature of radiation from uranium tailings through weapons resting and fallout to waste releases in materials production was sufficient to place the fledgling rad health program in the environmental health activities of the PHS along with air and water pollution activities. Nuclear weapons production and testing increased, nuclear power became promising, but the nuclear war always a possibility, so public and press concern increased and Congressional responded with hearings in the late 1950s (hearings by a Joint Congressional Committee) covered radioactive waste disposal, employee radiation hazards, fallout, and the effects of nuclear war. In response, in 1959, the President issued Executive Order 10831 establishing the Federal Radiation Council which, among other provisions, was implemented by the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and called for a substantial increase in the number of persons from Federal, State and local and industrial concerns being trained for work in radiological health. 42
During the same year, the Surgeon General of the USPHS formed a National Advisory Committee on Radiation (NACOR) which also described an increased need for highly trained radiation health specialists and radiological technicians. The report also pointed out that, "most of the ionizing radiation received by the population today, other than that received from natural sources, has been received from x‐ray machines employed by the health professions." This broadened the scope beyond the original concerns over exposure from various radioactive materials. NACOR continued its advice to the Department and in their 1963 report, "...recognized within the Nation an increasingly broad interest in education and research in all the radiological sciences, including the forthcoming study of education in radiological sciences by the national Academy of Sciences ‐ NRC" The impact of the anxiety of the Cold War and the weapons program plus the recognition of the concern over the medical uses of radiation, as expressed by Congressional hearings, executive orders, and advisory committees put the Departments radiological health program (DRH) into action to provide training for DRH's own staff, State, local and other Federal agencies, on all aspects of radiological health. The result was that short term (one or two week) courses were conducted at four of the DRH laboratories around the country. In 1969 there were 99 class weeks of specialized classes conducted. The USPHS Radiological Health staff increased from 171 FTEs in 1960 to 800 FTEs in 1968. Training Grants were started in 1960 and they increased to 35 grants to universities until 1970 when the program was terminated. Similarly, research grants to universities started in1960 and peaked in 1966 with 104 grants that supported students who were working on these research projects. The Radiological Health program was given another charge when the Congressional hearing of 1967 and '68, on x‐ray exposure from color television set called attention to the fact that there was no Federal agency with authority to regulate electronic products such as laser, microwaves and x‐rays. The Radiation for Control for health and safety Act that was passed in 1968 was delegated to be implemented by the Bureau of Radiological Health. One of the provisions of the Act was to, "plan, conduct, coordinate and support research, development, training, and operational activities to minimize the emissions of and the exposure of people to unnecessary electronic product radiation;" But training grants disappeared in 1975 and research grants were down to less than 20 grants and finally disappeared by1990. This was unfortunate because there was a need for trained staff to deal with the effects of the exposure from all aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum and ultra sound. Concern over the environment and pollution resulted in the 1971 Presidential Reorganization Plan No.3 that established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and all the environmental staff (318 FTEs) and resources in the Department were transferred to that new organization. In that same year, the remaining radiological health program was transferred to the Food and Drug Administration, where they continued to regulate the safety of machine produced electronic products. In 1976, Congress passed the Medical Device Amendments to the Food and Drug Act and FDA had the responsibility to assure the safety of medical devices. The complexity of that authority put a demand on the FDA for resources, and in 1982 the Bureau of Radiological Health and the Bureau of Medical Devices were merged into FDA's new Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). Today the resources in the radiological health portion of the FDA are estimated to be less than 50 FTEs and the availability of 43
these staff members to deal with is very limited and there is no opportunity for CDRH to have the resources and support to continue the training and educational in radiological health personnel when new replacements fill the gaps of the retirees. In the 1960 to 1980 period, the radiological health program was stimulated by the public fear over radiation and this translated to Congressional hearings and legislation. The legislation identified authority and support for educational programs. The Presidents and Department Secretaries amplified the public's anxiety over radiation and during this twenty year period there was hardly a radiological health professional ‐ either federal, state or academic ‐ that did not have some support that did not have some support from the PHs's radiological health program. WRAP? They are gone and there is no immediate opportunity to fill the gap. But if the scientific and public health community can clarify the concern to the extent that Congress and the public recognize the importance of research and action programs, then maybe ‐ just maybe ‐ there may be support to reestablish some radiological health training. 44
Health Physics Society
Human Capital Crisis Task
Force
Kathy Pryor, CHP
Past President, HPS
45
What’s the Problem?

Need to fill the pipeline with new radiation safety
professionals




Large number of impending retirements
Shrinking academic programs
“Nuclear Renaissance” and increased medical use of
radiation will require radiation safety professionals
Task Force formed to study the problem in 2002



Chaired by Kevin Nelson, Ph.D, CHP – Mayo Clinic
Six representatives from academic institutions,
state/federal agencies, health care, nuclear power,
DOE national laboratories
Develop a white paper on human capital crisis in
radiation safety
46
Approach

Goals of study




Verify current HP manpower status
Project future needs for radiation safety professionals
Identify ways to meet current/future needs
Data Collection



Used publicly available, non-biased references
whenever possible
Gathered data on current and future employment
needs using a tailored questionnaire
HPS academic program directors and ORISE human
resources data base provided information on
academic program size and funding
47
Results
•
•
Confirmed the need for a significant number of
new HPs in 2003
•
At least 6700 new radiation safety professionals
needed across all employment sectors in the near term
•
Total did not include part-time or consulting HPs
Need strong, healthy academic programs
•
•
HP graduates declined 55% in 2002 over 1995 levels
Stable source of academic funding is critical
•
•
Virtually no academic funding available from federal
agencies in 2003
HPS scholarships/fellowships help, but provide limited
support
48
HPS Position Statement

PS015, Human Capital Crisis in Radiation Safety





Position: significant financial commitment by
Congress and federal agencies is needed to support
education of professionals and teachers, research,
equipment and scholarships/fellowships
PS has been shared with congress and federal
agencies on every HPS government relations visit
since 2004
Basis for HPS’s advocacy of NRC’s IUP scholarship,
fellowship and curriculum development program
HPS has helped to generate positive results in
funding the IUP program over multiple years
PS has not been updated since June 2005
49
Current Situation

HPS is in the process of updating PS015




Academic programs have shown some growth
since original 2003 white paper
NRC has been providing academic program
funding through IUP



Problem: lack of new data on workforce needs
Draft revision is more qualitative in nature
Victim of sequestration and shrinking budgets
Growth in nuclear power sector has not taken off
as quickly as anticipated; impact of plant closures
Current workforce is not retiring as quickly as
expected – poor economy
50
Readiness of the U.S. Nuclear
Workforce for the 21st Century
Challenges
A Report from the APS Panel on Public Affairs Committee
on Energy and Environment
June 2008
51
Purpose
• Identify critical shortages in the U.S. nuclear
workforce and to problems in maintaining
relevant educational modalities and facilities for
training new people.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
52
Report Focus
• Report focuses primarily on nuclear scientists
and engineers who have at least a Bachelor’s
degree.
• An assessment of the adequacy of the
technician and construction workforces was not
a primary goal of the study.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
53
Work Group Members*
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sekazi Mitingwa, Chair, MIT
Carol Berrigan, NEI
Robert Eisenstein, Sante Fe Alliance for Science
Lynne Fairobent, AAPM
Darleane Hoffman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Ruth Howes, Marquette University
Andrew Klein, Idaho National Laboratory
William Magwood, IV, DOE
Patrick Mulvey, American Institute of Physics
Marc Ross, University of Michigan
Jeanette Russo, APS Office of Puplic Affairs
Francis Slakey, APS Washington Office
*Affiliations listed were as of writing the report.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
54
Audience for the Report
• The report was intended to be used by:
–
–
–
–
–
7/17/13
The Executive Branch of the Federal government
Members of Congress,
State governors and legislators
University administrators and faculty, and
The physics community at large.
NCRP WARP meeting
55
Organization of the Report
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A partial overview of Federal support for university nuclear science
and engineering research and education
A summary of past reports on these topics and on the closelyaligned fields of nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry, and on
radiological health physics;
A discussion on the impacts of DOE’s Innovations in Nuclear
Infrastructure and Education (INIE) program;
The results of a survey of the needs of those facilities if they are to
play a significant role in the U.S. nuclear future;
A discussion of the status of facilities for measuring fission and
neutron-capture actinide cross sections, which are crucial for
designing and implementing advanced nuclear reactor fuel cycles;
Findings relative to the workforce and educational facilities, and their
adequacy to meet both public and private future nuclear challenges;
and
A summary and recommendations.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
56
Recommendations –
Focus to Federal Government Action
• Naming a single Federal agency to act as a
steward for an ongoing, robust university-based
nuclear science and education program.
• Stabilizing the long-term funding and
management of nuclear science and
engineering education programs, including
university-based reactors.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
57
Recommendations –
Focus to Federal Government Action
• Establishing a two-part funding program for
university reactors that:
– Negotiates with universities to provide one-time funding to bring
each reactor up to an acceptable level of modernization, and
– Then provides annual Federal funding to maintain that level.
• Helping to establish a two-year nuclear technician
training program at community colleges to meet
future nuclear workforce needs.
• Helping to establish the use of distance-learning
methods to exploit training reactor facilities more
effectively.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
58
Recommendations –
Focus to Federal Government Action
• Instituting educational programs that train
displaced workers in other engineering and
science disciplines to perform nuclear
engineering and technology jobs.
• Establishing a cross-cutting workforce initiative
that addresses the national security, energy, and
public health needs for trained nuclear chemistry
and radiochemistry personnel.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
59
Recommendations –
Focus to Federal Government Action
• Providing adequate funding for degreed health
physics programs to train necessary numbers of
health physicists for nuclear power and other
industries.
• Supporting research on the fundamental physics
of actinide fission and neutron capture, along
with measurements of relevant data.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
60
Recommendations –
Focus to Industry
• Nuclear vendors and utilities should expand
undergraduate student internships, graduate
student traineeships, cooperative education
opportunities, and training on reactor simulators
at their facilities.
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
61
Questions?
Lynne A. Fairobent
Manager of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
AAPM
[email protected]
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
62
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
WHO WE ARE
Overall Mission
“Promote public health protection from environmental
radiation exposures through science and education.”
Includes ionizing and non-ionizing radiation-related
concerns:
Airline travel
Airport security scanners
Cell phones
Doses from Cold War
nuclear weapons
production and testing
• Electromagnetic fields
•
•
•
•
• Emergency Preparedness
and Response
• Radiation exposures to
pregnant women
• Radon
• Spacecraft radiation
sources
HOW WE DO IT
Civil Service, USPHS and Contract Staff
• Communications Specialists
• Emergency responders
• Epidemiologists
• Health Physicists
• Medical Doctors
• Physicists
• Pharmacists
• Public Health Advisors
• Radiochemists
WHAT WE DO
• Provide scientifically based technical assistance and guidance
to state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to
safeguard the American public against radiation exposures.
• Provide radiation-related education, training, and information
to the public health and clinician communities, and the
general public.
• Work collaboratively with state, local, tribal, territorial,
federal and international public health partners on radiationrelated health threats.
• Support the ability of CDC and HHS staff to respond to
nuclear/radiological emergencies
• Explore emerging radiation related health threats
OUR NEEDS!
• Currently unable to fulfill emergency
responsibilities with current staffing
• Imminent retirements
• Growth in agency expectations
• Program gaps widening
• HPs with Public Health approach
• Surge capacity for emergency response
63
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals? Government Organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Who We Are Between 1990 and 2011, RSB participated in detailed dose reconstructions for nine different DOE nuclear weapons production and testing locations. Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station incident in Japan travelled around the world. Radiation levels were not sufficient to harm people outside Japan, but the presence of this fallout resulted in a major public health response in the U.S. RSB is also interested in other radiation exposures received by members of the public. All people are exposed to varying levels of radiation at all times from a variety of natural and man‐made sources. The largest single source of radiation exposure from natural sources for most people is radon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among U.S. non‐smokers and 2nd leading cause of lung cancer among U.S. smokers. On average, the largest single source of exposure to ionizing radiation to the American people each year is from medical diagnostic imaging procedures. There has been more than a three‐fold increase in the average annual radiation dose from medical diagnostic imaging exposures to the U.S. population from 1982 to 2005. The radiation doses from these medical diagnostic imaging exposures can be in the range for which there is epidemiologic evidence of increased cancer risk. Finally, RSB continues to provide technical expertise and communication about numerous radiation‐related concerns including: 







Airport security scanners Cell phones Electromagnetic fields Radiation exposures to pregnant women Doses from Cold War nuclear weapons production and testing Spacecraft radiation sources Airline travel Nuclear power plants What We Do The overall mission of the Radiation Studies Branch at CDC is to “Promote public health protection from environmental radiation exposures through science and education.” RSB accomplishes this mission by: 

Providing scientifically based technical assistance and guidance to state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to safeguard the American public against radiation exposures. Providing radiation‐related education, training, and information to the public health and clinician communities, and the general public. 64



Working collaboratively with state, local, tribal, territorial, federal and international public health partners on radiation‐related health threats. Supporting the ability of CDC and HHS staff to respond to nuclear/radiological emergencies. Exploring emerging radiation related health threats. How We Do It CDC employs the following specialists in Civil Service, US Public Health Service and Contractors in our current radiation‐related positions: 







Communications Specialists Epidemiologists Health Physicists Medical Doctors Physicists Pharmacists Public Health Advisors Radiochemists Our Needs Many of the original RSB staff have retired and/or moved on to other positions within CDC. One additional person is planning to retire at the end of the year. Soon there will be only one remaining person in RSB with a collective memory of RSB’s historical activities. This shortage of radiation Subject Matter Experts has put CDC in a position where it is currently unable to fulfill its emergency responsibilities as defined in the National Response Framework and the associated Nuc/Rad Incident Annex. This dwindling technical staff coupled with the increasing emergency and non‐emergency responsibilities is creating a growing human capital crisis. Therefore, it is imperative that CDC work with our NCRP colleagues and Federal partners to develop a strategy to continue our important mission and future radiation related activities. 65
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: US Department of Homeland Security, Domestic Nuclear
Detection Office
MISSION
-DNDO: To prevent nuclear terrorism
-DNDO was established on April 15, 2005
with the signing of NSPD 43 / HSPD 14
for the purpose of improving the Nation’s
capability to detect and report
unauthorized attempts to import,
possess, store, develop, or transport
nuclear or radiological material for use
against the Nation, and to further
enhance this capability over time
HOW WE DO IT
-Nuclear engineering and physics
-Nuclear forensics
-Modeling and simulation expertise
-Information systems and operations
-Test and evaluation science
-Program managements
-Law enforcement
-Planning
-Intelligence
-Operations Support
WHAT WE DO
-Develop the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture
-Develop, acquire, and support the domestic nuclear
detection and reporting system
-Detect – Employ instruments and improve training to
increase detection probability & effective response
-Coordinate – Ensure that stakeholders facilitate
situational awareness through information sharing
-Conduct a transformational R&D program
- Execute the National Technical Nuclear Forensics
Center within DNDO
OUR NEEDS!
-The expertise to develop and maintain this:
66
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: US Department of Homeland Security, Domestic Nuclear
Detection Office – Academic Research Initiative
MISSION
WHAT WE DO
-DNDO: To prevent nuclear terrorism
-Academic Research Initiative:
-Advance fundamental knowledge for
nuclear detection and related sciences
-Develop human capital for the nuclear
science and engineering profession
-Sustain a long-term commitment to build
academic capability
HOW WE DO IT
-Executed jointly by DNDO and the
National Science Foundation (NSF)
-Solicitation process managed by NSF – 5
topic solicitation currently under review
-Grant management transferred to DNDO
after the first year
-Program Statistics
-Number of Awards: 51 total, 40 active
-Number of Universities: 42 total, 31 active
-$3M in new awards annually
-Grants up to 5 years, $350K/year
OUR NEEDS!
-Expertise in science and engineering
necessary to advance capabilities for
preventing nuclear terrorism
-ARI Program supports students in array
of disciplines, emphasizing nuclear
science and engineering:
-Students Currently Supported and
Involved: 154, 94
-Publications : 2010: #70, 2011: #62, 2012
(partial): #32
-HS-STEM Internship also started this
67
summer
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: US Department of Homeland Security, Domestic Nuclear
Detection Office - National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program
MISSION
-DNDO: To prevent nuclear terrorism
-National Technical Nuclear Forensics
Center:
-Provide centralized planning, integration,
and stewardship of US Government
nuclear forensics activities
-Develop advanced pre-detonation nuclear
forensics capability
-Restore and maintain an enduring
technical nuclear forensics workforce
WHAT WE DO
-Nuclear forensics: Collection, analysis and
evaluation of pre-detonation (intact) and postdetonation (exploded) radiological or nuclear
materials and devices
-National Nuclear Forensics Expertise
Development Program (NNFEDP):
Comprehensive USG effort to grow and sustain
uniquely qualified technical expertise required to
execute the nation’s nuclear forensics mission
-Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act (PL
111-140)
HOW WE DO IT
-Create academic pathway from undergrad to
post-doc study in nuclear to geochemical science
-Specialties directly relevant to nuclear
forensics, with end goal of filling specific
expertise gaps in technical workforce
-Undergrad scholarships and summer school;
graduate fellowships and internships; post-doc
fellowships at national labs; junior faculty awards;
university education awards; senior scientist-student
mentoring
- Support to over 250 students and faculty, as
well as 22 universities, since inception (2008);
strong partnerships with 11 national labs
OUR NEEDS!
-Nuclear forensics technical experts
-Multi-disciplinary backgrounds needed:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Radiochemists
Geochemists
Analytical Chemists
Nuclear Engineers
Reactor Engineers
Process Engineers
Physicists
Nuclear Physicists
Statisticians
Metallurgists
68
US Department of Homeland Security, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO)
DNDO was established on April 15, 2005 with the signing of NSPD-43 / HSPD-14 for the
purpose of improving the Nation’s capability to detect and report unauthorized attempts to
import, possess, store, develop, or transport nuclear or radiological material for use against the
Nation, and to further enhance this capability over time. The mission requires a broad range of
expertise, to include nuclear engineering and physics and nuclear forensics. DNDO manages
two programs to develop human capital in these fields, the Academic Research Initiative (ARI)
Program and the National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program (NNFEDP). The
ARI is a university grant program jointly executed with the National Science Foundation
intended to advance fundamental knowledge for nuclear detection and related sciences. The
NNFEDP provides undergrad scholarships and summer schools; graduate fellowships and
internships; post-doc fellowships at national labs; junior faculty awards; university education
awards; and senior scientist-student mentoring.
69
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
MISSION
-Reduce the severity of health consequences for
military and civilian personnel
-Conduct radiobiology and related research of
operational relevance to DoD
-Collaborative research with other federal and
civilian agencies and institutions
-Develop radiation countermeasures to FDA IND
status and then hand-off for further development
-Prepare for and respond to radiological
emergencies
HOW WE DO IT
-Civilian, Military, and Contract Employees: Radiation
Biologist, Biochemists, Cell and Molecular Biologists,
Microbiologists…
-Dosimetry: Physicists, Health Physicists
-NRC licensed cobalt and nuclear reactor operators
-Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Staff
-Good Laboratory Practice certification (Jan 2014)
-Facilities
•
Cobalt sources
•
Nuclear Reactor
•
SARRP
•
LINAC
WHAT WE DO
Conduct Research in five focus areas:
• Radiation Countermeasures
• Radiation Combined Injury
• Biodosimetry
• Internal Contamination and Metal Toxicity
• Agent Defeat
Educate: Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation Course
Emergency Response: Military Medical Operations
OUR NEEDS!
-Advanced Development of promising radiation
medical countermeasures to IND status
-Continue development of a Good Laboratory
Practice program to further advance development of
radiation countermeasures
-Program growth
-Program Gaps
-Medical Radiobiology Advisory Team staffing
-Radiation Biologists
The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private opinions of the author and are not
to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Department of Defense or the
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
70
Recruitment and Utilization of Radiation Professionals in the Department of Defense NCRP: Where are the Radiation Professionals? July 2013 Radiation Professionals in the Department of Defense (DoD) support the warfighter by ensuring the safe use of radioactive materials and radiation producing equipment in environments which span from laboratory settings, to industrial jobsites, to medical treatment facilities, to battlefield and shipboard settings. Further, our radiation professionals are called upon to cover the past, present and future: 1) retrospective dose reconstruction and environmental cleanup, 2) day‐to‐day regulatory compliance and 3) research into radioprotectants, advances in medical imaging and new detection capabilities. This broad oversight is accomplished through continuous recruitment, incentives for continuing education and certification, participation in professional organizations and committees and robust communication between subject matter experts and satellite activities. CDR Chad Mitchell, Ph.D., DABR U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Falls Church, VA [email protected] 71
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: Department of Defense
MISSION
DoD-The mission of the Department of Defense is
to provide the military forces needed to deter war
and to protect the security of our country. The
department's headquarters is at the Pentagon.
Health Physics within DoD - Provide uniquely
qualified professional scientists and leaders with
expertise in radiological health to protect and
defend the force
HOW WE DO IT
Active duty, Civil Service, and Contract Staff
- Scientists, inspectors, safety officers, compliance
officers, medical and product reviewers
Regulations
- Grounded in CFR requirements
- Specific to unique operating environments
Training
- Recognized professional degrees/certifications
- DoD/service-specific requirements
WHAT WE DO
Ensure the safe use of radioactive materials and
radiation-producing equipment.
- Battlefield environments
- Installations within the standing infrastructure
- Equipment containing radioactive materials from
small commodities to ships, submarines & air craft
- Non-destructive testing
- Medical use/research
- Non-ionizing radiation sources
- Environmental cleanup issues
- Dose reconstruction
OUR NEEDS!
- Continuous recruitment
- Continuing education/certification
Environmental/remediation
Radio-epidemiology
Medical physics advances
Regulatory oversight
Internal dosimetry
Dosimetry/detection
Consequence management
- Distance learning opportunities to provide formal
education to individuals with extensive experience
72
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
MISSION
National Security
• Managing the Stockpile
• Preventing Proliferation
• Powering the Nuclear Navy
• Emergency Response
• Countering Nuclear Terrorism
WHAT WE DO
Consumer side
• Emergency Response: search, render safe, consequence management (modeling, monitoring, medicine)
• Nonproliferation: monitoring, verification, safeguards R&D and Ops
• Global Threat Reduction Initiative: convert, remove, protect
Supply side
• University consortiums for Nuclear Science and Security, Nonproliferation Enabling Capabilities , & Verification Technology • GTRI Nuclear Security Education Project
• NGSI Human Capital Development (HCD) Program
• Ad hoc partnerships with universities (our data, their students)
• Other training: REAC/TS, RAP, CTOS, etc.
HOW WE DO IT
•People
•DOE National Laboratory personnel (1000’s of scientists, medical professionals, engineers, technicians)
•Federal technical staff (program managers, team leaders, HPs)
•Methods
•Operations (on & off site, domestic & international)
•Analytical work, studies
•R&D
•Policy
•Work locations
•National Labs
•Field work
•HQ (DC & Field offices)
OUR NEEDS!
•Expertise
•Nuclear weapons design
•Nuclear/radiological materials characterization
•Nuclear safeguards
•Radiation detection
•Radiation dose assessment
•Radiation medicine
•Nuclear policy
•Surge capacity for emergency response
•Replenish lab and fed retirees
73
DOE/NNSA Summary for WARP Workshop
Mission: NNSA is responsible for the management and security of the nation’s nuclear
weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, and naval reactor programs. It also responds to nuclear and
radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad. Additionally, NNSA federal agents
provide safe and secure transportation of nuclear weapons and components and special nuclear
materials along with other missions supporting the national security.
Managing the Stockpile: Maintaining the safety, security and effectiveness of the nuclear
deterrent without nuclear testing – especially at lower numbers – requires increased investments
across the nuclear security enterprise.
Preventing Proliferation: Keeping weapons of mass destruction (WMD) out of the hands of state
and non-state actors requires a coordinated effort on the part of suppliers of proliferationsensitive materials, equipment, and technologies. These efforts include both R&D and the
implementation of technologies to accomplish the mission. In support of the R&D mission,
several University consortiums have been created to fund researchers to conduct work
collaboratively with DOE/NNSA National Laboratory scientists.
Powering the Nuclear Navy: The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program provides militarily effective
nuclear propulsion plants and ensures their safe, reliable and long-lived operation. This mission
requires the combination of fully trained U.S. Navy men and women with ships that excel in
endurance, stealth, speed, and independence from supply chains.
Emergency Response: NNSA ensures that capabilities are in place to respond to any NNSA and
Department of Energy facility emergency. It is also the nation's premier responder to any nuclear
or radiological incident within the United States or abroad and provides operational planning and
training to counter both domestic and international nuclear terrorism.
Countering Nuclear Terrorism: NNSA provides expertise, practical tools, and technically
informed policy recommendations required to advance U.S. nuclear counterterrorism and
counterproliferation objectives. It executes a unique program of work focused solely on these
missions and builds partnerships with U.S. government agencies and key foreign governments on
these issues.
74
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: US Department of Energy, Office of Health and Safety, Office of
Health, Safety and Security
WHO WE ARE
Overall Mission
Establishes worker safety and health
requirements and expectations for DOE to
ensure protection of workers from the
hazards associated with DOE operations.
Supports the Department of Labor and the
National Institutes for Occupational Safety
and Health in the implementation of the
Energy Employees Occupational Illness
Compensation Program Act.
Conducts a number of health studies to
determine worker and public health effects
from exposure to hazardous materials
associated with DOE operations.
Supports international health studies and
programs in Japan, Spain, Russia, and the
Marshall Islands.
Supports medical surveillance and
screening for current/former workers.
Supports the Radiation Emergency
Assistance Center/Training Site Program.
Supports U.S. Transuranium and Uranium
Registry, a large human database.
Assists DOE organizations to obtain
Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)
status.
Supports the Federal Technical Capability
Program (FTCP).
HOW WE DO IT
Radiobiologist
Health Physicists
Environment Monitoring
Industrial Hygienist
Epidemiologists
Statisticians
Safety Technical Managers
Physicians
WHAT WE DO
Responsible for developing and
implementing health and safety policies and
regulations to ensure the DOE workforce
conducts work safely and productively.
Domestically, our commitment is made
visible through an aggressive program to
provide scientific evidence and information
on the state of health of workers in a crosssection of DOE facilities.
Internationally, we are responsible to
Congress for managing nuclear legacy
issues in other countries and to the
Executive Branch through DOE for
international scientific agreements in several
countries.
The major contributor to the national and
international organizations that determine
radiation protection standards. The results
from the Japan and Russian programs are
the primary basis for the world-wide
radiation protection standards. They are
important to the well-being of DOE and
nuclear industry workers, and for
compensation issues.
OUR NEEDS
HPs
Radiobiologist
Statisticians
Epidemiologist
Impeding retirements
75
76
77
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
US Department of Energy – Office of Science
WHO WE ARE
• “The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure
America’s security and prosperity by addressing its
energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through
transformative science and technology solutions.”
• AEC –> ERDA --> DOE
• The origins of the Office of Science trace back to the
Manhattan Project; the classified nature and sprawling
logistical and technical demands of this work created
large, multi-purpose facilities that became the nation’s
first national laboratories
HOW WE DO IT
WHAT WE DO
• The lead federal agency supporting fundamental
scientific research for energy; the Nation’s largest
supporter of basic research in the physical sciences
• Two principal thrusts: direct support of scientific
research and direct support of the development,
construction, and operation of unique, open-access
scientific user facilities
• A long-standing mission to understand how radioactive
materials affect the human genome
OUR NEEDS!
• The Office of Science is the steward of ten of the
17 DOE laboratories; these 10 laboratories provide
essential support to the missions of SC programs
• Radiation technicians, technologists, health
physicists for continued research and user facility
missions
• Research is also supported through grants and
contracts to universities /institutions
• Radiation biologists, chemists, physicists, and
epidemiologists for future research missions
(program growth, program gaps)
• SC supports 27 radiation user facilities : Synchrotron
Radiation Light Sources (5), High-Flux Neutron Sources (3),
Electron Beam Micro-characterization Centers (3), Fusion
Energy Facilities (5), High Energy Physics Facilities (3), and
Nuclear Physics Facilities (8).
• Replacement for impending retirements of senior
scientists leaving gaps in critical areas of expertise
• Federal workforce: 10-12 HPs or other radiation
professionals, in total
• Contractors: varies by Lab from 2 to well over 100
radiation professionals per lab
78
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
U.S. Department of Energy – Office of Environmental Management (EM)
WHO WE ARE
• The mission of the Office of Environmental
Management (EM) is to complete the safe cleanup
of the environmental legacy brought about from five
decades of nuclear weapons development and
government-sponsored nuclear energy research
• This legacy includes sites with large amounts of
radioactive wastes, spent nuclear fuel (SNF), excess
plutonium and uranium, thousands of contaminated
facilities, and contaminated soil and groundwater.
• In 1989, EM was charged with the responsibility of
cleaning up 107 sites across the country. As of
September 2012, completed cleanup at 90 of the sites
HOW WE DO IT
• (Bulldozers, dump trucks, front loaders)
• Building demolition
• Construction of waste disposal facilities
• Waste treatment -- Hanford Waste Treatment Plant
(under construction), Defense Waste Processing Plant
(Savannah River)
WHAT WE DO
• Waste Management - planning and optimizing tank waste
processing and nuclear materials, including spent nuclear fuel
• Site and Facility Restoration - to identify and advance
strategies to plan and optimize EM soil and groundwater
remediation, deactivation and decommissioning (D&D), and facility
engineering projects and processes
• Program Management - to assure effective project,
acquisition, and contract management, manage the safeguards,
security and emergency preparedness activities
• Communications and Engagement - to develop guidance,
monitor, and oversee EM’s interactions with affected entities,
communities, and stakeholders
OUR NEEDS!
• Radiation technicians, technologists, health
physicists for facility management and cleanup missions
• Scientists and engineers for applied research
missions and program management
• Replacement for impending retirements of senior
scientists and engineers
• Waste transportation
• Operation of world’s only deep nuclear waste
disposal facility (WIPP)
• Employs hundreds of radiation professionals
79
DOE Office of Science (SC)
The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its
energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.
The origins of the Office of Science trace to the Manhattan Project; the classified nature and sprawling
logistical and technical demands of this work created large, multi-purpose facilities that became the
nation’s first national laboratories. In 1946, enactment of the Atomic Energy Act transferred
responsibility for nuclear research and development from the War Department to a new independent
civilian agency, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), led by five Commissioners appointed by the
President. The Commission’s charter ensured continuity of the Manhattan Project research activities. It
provided for a diversified program of basic research with emphases on basic nuclear processes, the
production of nuclear energy, and the utilization of nuclear materials for medical, biological, health, or
military purposes.
The Office of Science portfolio has two principal thrusts: direct support of scientific research and direct
support of the development, construction, and operation of unique, open-access scientific user facilities.
These activities have wide-reaching impact. The Office of Science supports research in all 50 States and
the District of Columbia, at DOE laboratories and more than 300 universities and institutions of higher
learning nationwide. The Office of Science User Facilities provides the Nation’s researchers with stateof-the-art capabilities that are unmatched anywhere in the world.
The Office of Science manages this research portfolio through six interdisciplinary scientific program
offices: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and
Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics. In
addition, the Office of Science sponsors a range of science education initiatives through its Workforce
Development for Teachers and Scientists program.
The Office of Science is the steward of ten of the seventeen DOE laboratories; these 10 laboratories
provide essential support to the missions of SC programs: Ames Laboratory, Argonne National
Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. DOE/SC supports 27 user facilities that employ
radiation professionals: Synchrotron Radiation Light Sources (5), High-Flux Neutron Sources (3),
Electron Beam Microcharacterization Centers (3), Fusion Energy Facilities (5), High Energy Physics
Facilities (3), and Nuclear Physics Facilities (8).
In the Federal workforce we count approximately 10-15 radiation professionals. The number of
contractor personnel varies by Lab from two to well over 100 radiation professionals per lab, depending
on the research and/or user facility needs of that Lab. Directly or indirectly we employ radiation
technicians, technologists, health physicists, radiobiologists, radiation chemists, and physicists.
Depending on future budget and policy, continuing needs may include: 1) Radiation technicians,
technologists, and health physicists for continued research and user facility missions; 2) Radiation
biologists, chemists, physicists, and epidemiologists for future research missions (program growth,
program gaps); and 3) Replacement for impending retirements of senior scientists leaving gaps in
critical areas of expertise.
80
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Radiation Protection Program
MISSION
WHAT WE DO1
To protect human health and the environment from unnecessary exposure to radiation
• Reduce exposures through sound environmental radiation regulations
• Provide technical expertise for management of radioactive waste and contaminated media
• Develop and provide credible information for making effective risk management decisions • Prepare for and respond to radiation emergencies
• Promote responsible management of natural and man‐made radiation sources and encourage safer alternatives
Provide radiation protection regulations, information and guidance, including:
• Establishing generally applicable regulations for radioactivity in the environment (“outside the fence”)
• Providing standard methods for performing radionuclide dose and risk assessments (Federal Guidance reports)
• Issuing Protective Action Guides Manual
• Communicating with the public (on a day‐to‐day basis and following radiological incidents)
• Developing waste management regulations including for WIPP
• Assessing the domestic impacts of major nuclear incidents
HOW WE DO IT
OUR NEEDS!
EPA’s radiation protection professionals carry out the Agency’s mission through their knowledge of:
• Health physics
• Environmental fate and transport of radionuclides
• Epidemiology and statistics
• Radionuclide dose and risk assessment methods
• Science based policies and regulation
• Site assessment and decontamination methods
• Radioactive waste management practices
• Radiochemistry and laboratory analytical methods
• Emergency response guidance and policies
• Public communication (routine and emergency)
• More radiation protection professionals capable of addressing the many technical, policy and public information challenges that fall within EPA’s mandate (“human capital crisis”)
• Surge capacity for emergency response
• Prepare for impending retirements
OUR CURRENT COURSE…
• Ensure that EPA’s Radiation Protection Program is a good option as a workplace
• Promote knowledge transfer through mentoring and structured on‐the‐job training
• Support educational opportunities for current staff, encourage and support student intern opportunities
1
Statutory Authority: Reorganization Plan No. 3 (1970), Atomic Energy Act, Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, CERCLA, Public Health Service Act, Nuclear Waste Policy Act, Energy Policy Act of 1992, WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act, National Response Framework & associated federal plans
81
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Radiation Protection Program The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, like so many other agencies and organizations across the nation, is facing a “human capital crisis” in hiring radiation protection professionals. EPA’s Radiation Protection Program has a mission of health safety, science‐based regulation setting, risk assessment, waste management and emergency response. It will become increasingly challenging to sustain legally mandated radiation protection activities as the health physics community ages into retirement without a new generation to learn from its experience and continue its work. The human capital crisis is particularly difficult at EPA because of the Agency’s uniquely broad mission. EPA requires radiation professionals1 with knowledge of health physics, environmental fate and transport, regulations, waste management, emergency response and public communications. This diverse skill set typically is not only the product of classroom education – rather, it tends to accumulate over time through job immersion facilitated by experienced mentors. The Fukushima nuclear power accident, while posing no public health threat in the U.S., highlighted the importance of environmental radiation professionals to public health and national security. EPA had a limited number of radiation experts and they were in demand at all times during the incident response. The relationships between technical, policy and communications staff – built over years of working together – were integral to the Agency’s success in tracking the dispersion of radionuclides in the environment, determining the absence of a health threat and keeping the public informed. Future success will depend upon our ability to recruit new radiation professionals and integrate them into multidisciplinary environmental science teams. 1
This includes health physicists, radiobiologists, radiochemists, radioecologists and biophysicists, along with statisticians, geologists, hydrogeologists, geochemists, engineers and public information specialists. 82
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: US Food and Drug Administration
WHO WE ARE
Overall Mission
-Protecting the public health by assuring the safety,
effectiveness, quality, and security of human and
veterinary drugs…and products that emit radiation
-Facilitate the development and availability of
medical countermeasures
-Preparing for and responding to radiological
emergencies
-Protecting human subjects in trials of radioactive
drugs
-Protecting employees who work with radiation and
radioactive materials
HOW WE DO IT
-Civil Service, USPHS CC and Contract Staff
-Inspectors, safety officers, compliance officers,
medical and product reviewers
-Emergency responders (collateral duty)
-Physicists
-Health Physicists
-Medical Physicists
-Radiologists
-Nuclear Medicine specialists
-Nuclear pharmacists
-Radiochemists
WHAT WE DO
Radiation Protection Regulations and Requirements
-Radiation Control Law (Federal FD&C Act)/
Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968
-Public Health Service Act
-Bioterrorism Act of 2002
-Homeland Security Act
-21 CFR 361.1 (RDRC)
-Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness
Reauthorization Act of 2013 (PAHPRA)
OUR NEEDS!
-Impending retirements
-Program growth
-Program gaps
-HPs
-Surge capacity for emergency response
83
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: US Department of Health and Human Services - ASPR
MISSION
-Support domestic and international public health
emergency preparedness and response activities
-Prepare for and respond to radiological emergencies
-All hazard plans, response guidance, just-in-time tools
-Deploy medical personnel as requested
-Facilitate the development and availability of medical
countermeasures
HOW WE DO IT
-Offices
-Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency
(BARDA), Office of Policy and Planning, Office of Emergency
Management
-Divisions
-International Health Security, Medical Countermeasure
Strategy & Requirements, Tactical Programs (CBRNE Branch)
-Staff
Civil Service, USPHS CC and Contract Staff
-Scientists, medical personnel, planners
-Physicians (Oncologists, ED)
-Medical support teams (DMATs)
WHAT WE DO
-A little of everything; Policy, Response, just-in-time
resources and tools, CONOPs development, Facilitation
of medical countermeasure research and development
-National Response Framework ESF #8 lead agency
-Lead the implementation of the Pandemic and All-Hazards
Preparedness Reauthorization Act (PAHPRA)
-Develop National Health Security Strategy
-Develop requirements for medical countermeasures
-Develop operational plans, analytical products, and training
exercises to ensure preparedness
-Participate in interagency workgroups, exercises, and planning
OUR NEEDS!
-Personnel needed for current needs and
replacement
-Surge capacity for emergency response (SME level
support)
84
Department of Health and Human Services – Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Julie Sullivan The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is a Staff Division in the Office of the Secretary. ASPR serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary on all matters related to public health and medical emergency preparedness and response and leads a collaborative approach to the Department’s preparedness, response and recovery portfolio. In addition to this policy responsibility, the office of the ASPR also has operational responsibilities: both for the advanced research and development of medical countermeasures, and also for coordination of the federal public health and medical response to incidents. HHS is the lead agency for Emergency Support Function (ESF) #8 – Public Health and Medical Services – of the National Response Framework, leads the implementation of the Pandemic and All‐Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (PAHPRA), and is responsible for the development of the National Health Security Strategy. Radiation professionals within ASPR support domestic and international public health emergency preparedness and response activities with a focus on radiological emergencies of all types. They participate in interagency workgroups, exercises, and planning committees, and aid in the development of resources such as; all‐hazard and radiological/nuclear specific plans, operational plans, response guidance, requirements for medical countermeasures, analytical products, and training exercises to ensure public health and medical preparedness and just‐in‐time tools to be used in the event of a response. Additionally, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA) facilitates the advanced research and development of medical countermeasures and diagnostics for a radiological/nuclear incident. Within ASPR, radiation professionals are concentrated into three offices, BARDA, the Office of Policy and Planning’s divisions of International Health Security and Medical Countermeasures Policy and Planning, and the in the Office of Emergency Management’s division of tactical programs. These offices are staffed by Federal Employees, members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Core, and contract staff. The backgrounds of these staff vary and include scientists (including NIH, CDC), medical personnel (including oncologists (radiation, medical, hematology, transplant) and emergency physicians), and planners. During a response, medical support teams composed of federal intermittent employees from the National Disaster Medical System may be used. Personnel knowledgeable in the radiation sciences are needed to continue the above mentioned activities in ASPR and will be needed in the future for replacement of those who retire. Additionally, there is the need for additional personnel at the subject matter expert level, in the event of an emergency response such as that after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. 85
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: ASPR
MISSION
• Lead the country in preparing for, responding to, and
recovering from the adverse health effects of
emergencies and disasters by
• Supporting our communities’ ability to withstand
adversity,
• Strengthening our health and response systems, and
• Enhancing national health security.
• Vision:
• The nation’s health and response systems and
communities will be prepared, responsive, and
resilient to limit the adverse health impact of
emergencies and disasters.
WHAT WE DO
Goal 1: Promote resilient communities, fostering a nation able to withstand
and recover from public health emergencies
Goal 2: Strengthen Federal public health and medical preparedness,
response, and recovery leadership and capabilities
Goal 3: Promote an effective medical countermeasures enterprise
Goal 4: Strengthen ASPR’s leadership role in coordinating and developing
public health and medical emergency preparedness, response, and recovery
policy for the Department
Goal 5: Improve the preparedness and integration of health care delivery
systems
Goal 6: Improve management of the ASPR organization and investment in its
people
HOW WE DO IT
• Work with national, state, local, tribal governments and
private sector entities to address mission and goals for
preparedness and response
• Use evidence-based practices to support activities
across all mission activities
• Support research that advances the mission
• Deploy assets (people and materiel) as necessary to
support response activities in accordance with federal
and state regulation and policy
• Support education and training activities as resources
permit
OUR NEEDS!
• Address budget constraints and uncertainty
now and future; Augment radiation SME cadre
nationally and locally in various professions
• Support responder job-specific training for
radiation incidents
• Support academic radiation biology
community which is small and getting smaller
• Promote research, both basic and applied
86
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute
MISSION
-Identify, understand, and quantify risk of cancer in
populations exposed to different types of radiation
-Conduct radiation research that informs radiation
protection and addresses public health and clinical
needs
-Develop innovative dosimetric, epidemiological and
statistical methods to further above research goals
-Respond to needs of public, Congress, and other
government agencies for research on urgent
questions on radiation exposure and cancer risk
-train epidemiologists and dosimetrists
-communicate knowledge about radiation risks
HOW WE DO IT
WHAT WE DO
-Identify and conduct epidemiologic and dosimetric
research relevant to cancer risks in areas with greatest
potential for influencing radiation protection, public
health and clinical impact including: cancer risks from
medical, occupational and environmental exposures to
ionizing and non-ionizing radiation
-Develop and apply new methods to improve radiation
exposure assessment
-Develop approaches and software for statistical modeling
of radiation exposure assessment, cancer risk assessment,
and cancer risk projection that incorporate uncertainties
in radiation exposure measurement
-train radiation epidemiologists, dosimetrists, &
statisticians
OUR NEEDS!
-Radiation epidemiologists
-Impending retirements
-Health and medical physicists
-Statisticians with expertise in radiation
epidemiology and statistics
-Collaborators in many countries with expertise in 3
areas above plus radiologists, physicians performing
fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures,
nuclear medicine specialists, radiation oncologists,
radiobiologists, and others
-Radiation epidemiologists to work on epidemiologic
studies of medical, occupational and environmental
exposures
-Statisticians to conduct research in radiation
epidemiology and dosimetry
-Health and medical physicists to conduct research in
radiation epidemiology and development of new
approaches for radiation exposure assessment
87
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases –
Radiation Nuclear Countermeasures Program (RNCP)
MISSION
Create the infrastructure, scientific database,
and radiobiology expertise to accelerate the
identification, development and licensure of
radiation/nuclear medical countermeasures
(MCMs) for the Strategic National Stockpile.
NIAID RNCP focused on MCMs and biodosimetry
devices to be used in mass casualty
radiation/nuclear public health emergency
incidents.
WHAT WE DO
Manage a multi-element program portfolio to pursue
the mission:
• cooperative agreements,
• grants,
• contracts,
• SBIR grants, and
• interagency agreements
Major programs include the Centers for Medical
Countermeasures against Radiation (CMCRs) and
Product Development Support Services Contract
HOW WE DO IT
RNCP is focused on:
•Developing MCMs to improve survival and mitigate
injury from acute radiation syndromes (ARS) and the
delayed effects of acute radiation exposure (DEARE)
•Improving efficacy and ease of use of decorporation
agents
•Developing high-throughput, rapid, and accurate
biodosimetry for radiation exposures
•Revitalizing the science base by attracting and
establishing a cadre of highly qualified investigators
and modernizing critical infrastructure and research
facilities.
OUR NEEDS!
Radiobiology expertise
Dosimetry expertise
Radiation animal models expertise
Product development experience with
expertise in radiation research and FDA
licensure under the Animal Rule
• Radiobiology cross-training with expertise in
toxicology, pharmacology, cell biology,
molecular biology, immunology, microbiology,
physics, chemistry, etc.
•
•
•
•
88
Centers for Medical Countermeasures
against Radiation –Education and
Training Websites
David Brenner, Ph.D.
Columbia University Medical Center
http://www.cmcr.columbia.edu
Nelson Chao, M.D.
Duke University
http://www.radccore.org/
Jacqueline Williams, Ph.D.
University of Rochester
http://radoncu19.urmc.rochester.edu/
William McBride, Ph.D.
University of California
http://radonc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=296
Joel Greenberger, M.D.
University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center
http://www.pittcmcr.org/
89
NationalInstituteforAllergyandInfectiousDiseases–Radiation
NuclearMedicalCountermeasureDevelopmentProgram–July2013
In 2003, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and White House Homeland Security Council jointly developed priorities for radiation biodosimetry and medical countermeasures. In 2004, NIH/NIAID established a robust program with a special appropriation from Congress. A Blue Ribbon Panel provided review and guidance for NIAID’s strategic plan and research agenda. Priority research areas were: basic and translational science, radiation biodosimetry, focused product development, and infrastructure for research and product development. The objectives were to create the infrastructure, scientific database, and radiobiology expertise to accelerate the identification, development and deployment of radiation/nuclear medical countermeasures (MCMs) for the Strategic National Stockpile. NIAID RNCP focused on MCMs and biodosimetry devices to be used in mass casualty radiation/nuclear public health emergency incidents. In 2012, NIAID updated the strategic plan and research agenda (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/radnuc/Documents/radnucprogressreport.pdf) which focused on:  Developing MCMs to improve survival and mitigate injury from acute radiation syndromes (ARS) and the delayed effects of acute radiation exposure (DEARE)  Improving efficacy and ease of use of decorporation agents  Developing high‐throughput, rapid, and accurate biodosimetry for radiation exposures  Revitalizing the science base by attracting and establishing a cadre of highly qualified investigators and modernizing critical infrastructure and research facilities. NIAID RNCP has developed a portfolio of cooperative agreements, grants, contracts, SBIR grants, and interagency agreements to pursue the mission including the Centers for Medical Countermeasures against Radiation (CMCRs), a Product Development Support Services Contract, and other focused awards to identify and develop biodosimetry and MCM candidates. NIAID has developed a multi‐element program to pursue its public health emergency mission and include:  Cooperative Agreements
o
o

Specific Tissue Injury Grants
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Immune reconstitution
Oral Decorporation Agents
Mechanisms, Diagnostics, and Medical Countermeasures (MCMs)
Gastrointestinal MCMs
Lung MCMs
Skin MCMs
Combined Injury MCMs
SBIR
o
o

Centers for Medical Countermeasures against Radiation (CMCRs)
MCM Development and Mechanisms of Action
Medical Countermeasure Development
NIAID Omnibus
Contracts
o
o
o
o
Oral Forms of DTPA (2)
RERF
Product Development Support Services
BAA for specific syndrome MCM development
 Inter/intra Agency Agreements
They types of expertise needed to cover the spectrum of needs for the program are: radiobiology, dosimetry, radiation animal model development, pharmaceutical product development experience with expertise in radiation research and FDA licensure under the Animal Rule. Additionally, the program needs scientific expertise combined with radiation as radiobiology cross‐training with in toxicology, pharmacology, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology, microbiology, physics, chemistry, etc. 90
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Protection Professionals?
Government Organization: US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
MISSION
WHAT WE DO
NRC licenses and regulates the civilian use of
radioactive materials to protect public health and
safety, promote the common defense and security,
and to protect the environment.
• Perform safety evaluations and environmental
impact assessments
• Inspect operating facilities and programs
• Develop rules and compliance guidance
• Perform research to support the technical
information needs of the agency
NRC’s mission covers three areas:
• Reactors – Power and research/test
• Materials – used in medical , industrial, and
academic settings, and nuclear fuel production
• Waste – transportation, storage and disposal, and
decommissioning of facilities
HOW WE DO IT
•
•
•
•
In-house technical staff
Commercial contractors
DOE National Laboratories
Other federal agencies
OUR NEEDS!
• Mid-level radiation protection professionals
with 10-15 years of practical experience
• Health Physicists and Radiochemists with
strong environmental backgrounds
• Health Physicists with strong medical
treatment backgrounds
91
National Crisis:
Where are the Radiation Protection Professionals?
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Staff Needs and Perspective
Steven A. Schaffer, Ph.D.
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licenses and regulates the civilian use of radioactive
materials to protect public health and safety, promote the common defense and security, and protect
the environment. NRC's regulatory mission covers three main areas:



Reactors - Commercial reactors for generating electric power and research and test reactors
used for research, testing, and training
Materials - Uses of nuclear materials in medical, industrial, and academic settings and facilities
that produce nuclear fuel
Waste - Transportation, storage, and disposal of nuclear materials and waste, and
decommissioning of nuclear facilities from service
In all three areas we have a need for various radiation protection professionals with experience in
protecting nuclear workers, the public, and the environment from overexposure to ionizing radiation.
These professionals perform safety evaluations and environmental impact assessments of license
applications and amendments, inspections of operating facilities and programs, and regulatory
research supporting the technical needs of rulemaking, safety evaluations, and inspections. Our
professionals include the technical disciplines of Health Physics, Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear
Engineering, Physics and Radiochemistry.
The NRC supports a grant program to colleges and universities aimed at training new radiation
protection professionals. We also have active recruitment and incentive programs to attract newly
trained professionals. In addition, we have fellowships for our staff. The NRC designates specific
disciplines in which staff may pursue advanced degrees targeted to the master's or doctoral level.
Program participants receive tuition, full pay, and benefits while they complete their graduate degree
at approved universities. In addition to the fellowship program, NRC has a Health Physics training
program using a system of in-house and contractor training courses. All these programs successfully
helped fulfill the needs of our recent growth due to new reactor licensing. In general, our agency needs the mid-level radiation protection professional. These are people with
10 to 15 years of practical experience who have worked at relevant facilities or performed relevant
academic research projects. Due to the nature of our organization, we cannot provide that kind of
practical technical experience in-house. We also need Health Physicists with strong environmental
backgrounds and Radiochemists to support safety and environmental impact assessments of new
reactors, uranium recovery facilities, shallow land and deep geologic waste disposal facilities, and the
decommissioning of various nuclear facilities. In addition, we need Health Physicists with strong
medical treatment backgrounds because of the increase use of various radio-techniques for disease
diagnosis and therapy.
In summary, the NRC has been able to meet most of our staffing needs in the various fields of
radiation protection. We have done this through various academic training grants, recruitment and
incentive programs and in-house training and fellowship programs. What we inherently lack is the
ability to provide, by in-house means, the more advanced practical and hands-on technical experience
in radiation protection.
92
MAJ VANHORNE-SEALY
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: Department of Homeland Security
MISSION
- Ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against
terrorism and other potential threats.
- Prepare for and responding to radiological emergencies,
supporting disaster resilience.
- Protect employees who work with or may encounter
radiation and radioactive materials
- Develop, acquire, and support the domestic nuclear
detection and reporting system
- Characterize detector system performance before
deployment
- Provide centralized planning, integration, and advancement
of U.S. government nuclear forensics programs
HOW WE DO IT
-Civil Service, USPHS CC and Contract Staff
-Law enforcement, inspectors, safety officers,
compliance officers, medical and product
reviewers
-Emergency responders (collateral duty)
-Physicists
-Health Physicists
WHAT WE DO
Homeland Security Act
National Infrastructure Protection Plan (2009)
- Training and Exercises
- Threat and Vulnerability Assessments
-Research and Development
National Response Framework (2013)
- Planning
- Environmental Response/Health and Safety
- Interdiction and Disruption
- Screen, Search and Detect
National Disaster Recovery Framework (2011)
- Guidance for pre- and post-disaster recovery planning
- Public Information and Warning
OUR NEEDS!
Basic Radiation Training at all levels
- Locals: Responders, Providers and Support Staff
Surge capacity for emergency response
- How do we taps into local HP resources
Interagency Collaboration
- Continuity of effort will allow for more productivity
Detection experts
Health effects experts
93
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Professional Society: American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)
MISSION
• AAPM is the premier organization in medical
physics, a broadly-based scientific and professional
discipline encompassing physics principles and
applications in biology and medicine.
• The mission of the AAPM is to advance the science,
education and professional practice of medical
physics.
•
•
•
•
•
•
HOW WE DO IT
• Promote accreditation and periodic review of clinical practices.
• Promote the development of professional practice standards.
• Promote Continuing Medical Physics Education requirements for
physicists in clinical practice.
• Collaborate with government and accrediting agencies to effect
reasonable and effective regulations governing the clinical use of
new and existing modalities.
• Promote consistent standards for education and clinical residency
training in medical physics.
• Promote medical physics involvement in the training and
continuing education of physicians and health professionals.
• Promote and participate in the development of procedures and
guidelines for the safe, efficacious implementation and utilization of
new technologies.
• Develop technical reports on the science behind medical
applications of radiation.
• Promote research in medical applications of radiation.
WHAT WE DO
Promote the highest quality medical physics services
for patients.
Encourage research and development to advance the
discipline.
Disseminate scientific and technical information in the
discipline.
Foster the education and professional development of
medical physicists.
Support the medical physics education of physicians
and other medical professionals.
Promote standards for the practice of medical
physics.
OUR NEEDS!
• Ensuring adequate supply of Qualified Medical
Physicists across all subspecialties.
(This includes graduate education programs, clinical residency
programs, board certification programs, and continuing
education services.)
• Ensuring adequate (and consistent) level of
support for research into the medical
applications of radiation.
94
Mission Statement - Adopted by the AAPM Board of Directors - November 28, 2009
Vision: The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is the premier organization in medical
physics; a broadly-based scientific and professional discipline encompassing physics principles and
applications in biology and medicine.
Mission: The mission of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine is to advance the science,
education and professional practice of medical physics.
Goals: The goals of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine are to:
1. Promote the highest quality medical physics services for patients.
2. Encourage research and development to advance the discipline.
3. Disseminate scientific and technical information in the discipline.
4. Foster the education and professional development of medical physicists.
5. Support the medical physics education of physicians and other medical professionals.
6. Promote standards for the practice of medical physics.
Govern and manage the Association in an effective, efficient, and fiscally responsible manner.
The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is a scientific and professional organization,
founded in 1958, composed of over 8,000 scientists whose clinical practice is dedicated to ensuring accuracy,
safety and quality in the use of radiation in medical procedures such as medical imaging and radiation therapy.
Medical physicists are uniquely positioned across medical specialties due to our responsibility to connect the
physician to the patient through the use of radiation producing technology in both diagnosing and treating
people. The responsibility of the medical physicist is to assure that the radiation prescribed in imaging and
radiation therapy is delivered accurately and safely.
One of the primary goals of the AAPM is the identification and implementation of improvements in patient
safety for the medical use of radiation in imaging and radiation therapy. We do this through our association’s
activities and in cooperation with other societies such as the American Society for Radiation Oncology
(ASTRO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR). The following highlight some of the steps we have
taken, and continue to take to increase safety for patients.
•
•
•
•
•
The AAPM participates in the development of procedures and guidelines for the safe, efficacious
implementation and utilization of existing, new and advanced technologies. This includes developing
cooperative technical standards with the ACR and performing new technology/procedure assessment
with ASTRO.
The AAPM is a founding member of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging (known as
Image Gently®) and the Radiation Safety in Adult Medical Imaging Campaign (known as Image
Wisely®).
The AAPM produces many detailed scientific, educational and practical reports for technology and
procedures for medical imaging and radiation therapy. These reports include specific processes for
radiation dose measurement and calibration, quality assurance and peer review. These reports are
presented in educational forums at national and regional meetings and are also publicly available.
The AAPM provides medical physics guidance to facility accreditation organizations such as the
Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), the ACR, ASTRO, and the Joint Commission.
The AAPM initiated (over 40 years ago) and provides oversight of the Radiological Physics Center in
Houston, Texas, which is federally funded to provide medical physics and quality review support to
the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and national clinical trials groups. 95
AAPM •
•
•
The AAPM accredits national dosimetry calibration laboratories, which provide accurate calibration of
field instruments used by medical physicists to determine clinical dose levels. The AAPM has been a leader and partner in guiding and facilitating improved system connectivity and
communication in the medical information environment, specifically as it relates to accurate
information transfer during procedures that use medical radiation.
The AAPM provides education on medical errors, error analysis and reduction and responds rapidly to
needs in the area of technical quality and safety. For example:
o The special Quality Assurance meeting held in 2007, together with ASTRO and NCI;
o A Computed Tomography (CT) Dose Summit held initially in 2010 to address CT dose protocol
consistency; and
o A Safety in Radiation Therapy meeting was held in 2010 in collaboration with ASTRO and
included treatment team members, manufacturers, government agencies, and patient interest
groups.
In addition to these activities, AAPM has devoted a substantial part of its energy to the creation and
recognition of a position known as Qualified Medical Physicist, or QMP. These physicists have a unique
combination of education in the principles of physics, radiobiology, human anatomy, physiology and oncology
through a graduate degree, as well as clinical training in the applications of radiation physics to medicine, such
as the technologies of medical imaging and treatment delivery, radiation dose planning and measurement, as
well as safety analysis and quality control methods. Following this, an individual demonstrates competence in
his/her discipline by obtaining board certification (currently offered for ionizing radiation imaging and
radiation therapy through the American Board of Radiology). Certification is a rigorous, multi-year process
that requires considerable supervised clinical experience as well as passage of written and oral examinations.
The AAPM recognizes a Qualified Medical Physicist for the purpose of providing clinical medical physics
services, as an individual who is board-certified in the appropriate medical subfield and has documented
continuing education (AAPM Professional Policy 1).
All of the efforts mentioned are aimed at providing safer, more accurate and more effective patient procedures
using medical radiation and we will continue to work toward achieving the absolute minimum error rate.
However, there are some challenges we face in trying to meet these goals:
•
While the AAPM has a clear definition of a Qualified Medical Physicist, there is no consistent national
recognition of this credential. Medical physicists are licensed in 4 states (TX, NY, FL, HI) and
regulated at widely varying levels in the other 46 states.
•
The reports that AAPM (and others) publish have only the force and effect of professional and
scientific guidelines.
•
There are no consistent national staffing standards for medical physics services nor are there consistent
standards for accrediting practices that utilize medical physics services.
•
As stated above, clinical training in medical physics is a crucial component of preparing new entrants
into the profession. A formal medical physics residency is the best method for accomplishing this, and
the American Board of Radiology (ABR) now requires completion of a medical physics residency to
qualify for entry into final stages of the examination process. Funding sources and mechanisms for
such residency programs are inconsistent and have been a significant factor in the rate of creation of
such residency programs.
2 96
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Private Organization: The American Board of Radiology
MISSION
The mission of the American Board of Radiology is
to serve patients, the public, and the medical
profession by certifying that its diplomates have
acquired, demonstrated, and maintained a requisite
standard of knowledge, skill, understanding, and
performance essential to the safe and competent
practice of diagnostic radiology, interventional
radiology, radiation oncology, and medical physics.
WHAT WE DO
-Provide Initial Certification in diagnostic radiology
(DR), interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology
(IR/DR), radiation oncology (RO), and medical physics
(MP)
-Provide certification pathways to AU-, RSO-, and AMPeligibility that are based upon: 1) fulfillment of NRC
training and experience requirements, 2) passing
performance on specific ABR exam content
-Offer Maintenance of Certification (MOC) programs in
DR, IR/DR, RO, and MP
HOW WE DO IT
-Develop and administer examinations for initial
certification in DR, IR/DR, RO, MP
-Develop and administer MOC examinations in DR,
IR/DR, RO, MP
-Publish study guides, content outlines, practice exams,
and other tools to assist candidates and diplomates in
their preparation for ABR examinations
-Set MOC standards that are increasingly focused on
practice performance assessment and improvement
-Continually work to align all MOC elements with the
practice lives of our diplomates, as well as with the
demands associated with external stakeholders (eg.
state licensure, hospital credentialing, federal incentive
programs, etc.)
OUR NEEDS!
-Active liaison with a wide variety of stakeholder
organizations to ensure relevance of examinations
and MOC requirements
-Continuing support of a dedicated cadre of
volunteers to assist in examination development
and delivery
-Commitment to MOC participation among all
diplomates (including those holding “lifetime”
certificates)
-MOC programs that incorporate measures of safe
and appropriate use of medical imaging and
radiation (work is underway)
97
The American Board of Radiology (ABR) The ABR was incorporated in 1934 and is one of the 24 member boards comprising the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Between 1934 and 1994, all of the more than 50,000 certificates awarded by the ABR to candidates for certification in diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology and medical physics, were issued bearing only the date the certificates were issued. These certificates were generally considered to be “lifetime,” although they were more precisely defined as “non‐time limited.” Once initially certified by the ABR, diplomates had minimal contact other than for periodic requests for verification of credentials as requested by various entities and the public. In order to better serve the public and the profession(s) in 2006 the ABMS implemented a program of Maintenance of Certification (MOC) composed of 4 primary parts, which was adopted by all member boards: Part 1: Evidence of Professional Standing Part 2: Evidence of participation in a program of Lifelong Learning and Self‐Assessment Part 3: Evidence of Cognitive Expertise Part 4: Evidence of evaluation and improvement of performance in practice This program is designed to ensure that diplomates attain a requisite level of skill and knowledge at the completion of their post‐graduate residency training, and in addition, maintain their skills, knowledge and professionalism throughout the duration of their careers. Beginning in 1995, all diplomates in radiation oncology were issued only 10‐year time‐limited certificates and are required to participate in MOC. The same requirement was implemented for diagnostic radiology and medical physics diplomates in 2002. The initial certification process includes written qualifying (computer‐based) examinations in basic sciences, physics, and clinical content. Candidates in training programs approved by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) are eligible to sit for the basic science examinations during their training and for the clinical examination after completion of training. The oral examination is a case‐based, clinical examination. Material covered in the ABR initial certification examinations is based on the curricula requirements promulgated by the ACGME Residency Review Committees (RRCs) in Diagnostic Radiology and Radiation Oncology, and published in their Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education. Program requirements include didactic training and procedures required by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to fulfill their requirements for eligibility as Authorized Users of NRC‐regulated isotopes. Didactic training (and subsequent examination) includes radiation safety, protection, hazards, and regulations. Examination of medical physicists was previously based on curricula developed by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), but beginning in 2014, will be based on curricula developed by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP). Both curricula provide competencies to enable certified physicists to serve as institutional radiation safety officers or authorized medical physicists. A current goal of the ABR is to increase the participation in MOC by diplomates certified prior to issuance of time‐limited certificates, and to increase the relevance of the MOC processes to the current practice of medicine and governmental agency requirements. 98
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Private Organization: American Board of Radiology Foundation
MISSION
The mission of ABRF is to demonstrate, enhance, and
continuously improve accountability to the public in the
use of medical imaging and radiation therapy.
VISION
-Medical radiation is used safely & optimally
-Practice performance is enhanced over the practice
lifetime of the healthcare professional
-Systems are better and safer; public health is improved
-Dissemination of research findings, education, training,
and team care are the norm
HOW WE DO IT
WHAT WE DO
-Develop and implement a national strategy for
safe, appropriate, and patient-centered medical
imaging
-Develop policies, standards, measures, and
protocols that enhance the quality, safety, and costeffectiveness in the use of medical imaging and
radiation therapy
-Disseminate information and educational materials
that result in safe, optimal use of medical imaging
and radiation therapy
OUR NEEDS!
-Convene diverse group of stakeholders: representatives
from public, private, and professional sectors to:
-Select the most important gaps to address
-Match gaps to one or more relevant domain(s):
patient/consumer groups, healthcare organizations,
payers, business coalitions,
quality/standards/measures/EBM groups, certifying
and accrediting bodies, healthcare professionals,
government/regulatory agencies, public
awareness/education alliances, equipment
manufacturers
$$$
-Pursue individual initiatives to address the gaps
-Report back to one another and to broader audiences
through meetings and publications
99
The American Board of Radiology Foundation (ABRF) The American Board of Radiology Foundation (ABRF) is a 501(c)3 organization focused on creating a high‐functioning, well‐coordinated health system in which medical imaging and radiation are used safely and appropriately to deliver all the benefits that can be realized, while minimizing risk and waste. The Foundation's long‐term vision is an inclusive public/private/professional effort with sole focus on serving the public good in the use of medical imaging and radiation therapy. 



Radiation is safely used in medical imaging and radiation therapy Radiation is optimally used in medical imaging and radiation therapy Practice performance in medical imaging and radiation therapy is enhanced over the professional practice lifetime of the healthcare professional Public health is improved through better and safer systems, disseminiation of research findings, education and training, and team approaches to the use of radiation in healthcare The Foundation seeks to use the following strategies to reach its vision and fulfill our mission: 


A public/private/professional partnership to convene, coordinate, guide, and support efforts aligned with the mission Policies, standards, measures, systems, and protocols that enhance the quality, safety, and cost‐
effectiveness in the use of medical imaging and radiation therapy Dissemination of information and educational materials that result in a safe, optimal use of medical imaging and radiation therapy The Foundation is felt to occupy a unique altruistic role among radiologic organizations. The current struggle for U.S. healthcare reform largely centers on the public need for increased value as defined by quality in outcomes, safety, and services, as well as affordable access to services. During this time of intense debate over how to reform our healthcare system, the values and principles underlying our profession are subject to misunderstanding, distortion, or even worse, being ignored. Our society has become accustomed to the use of leverage, negotiation, and politics to achieve progress, so idealism may be viewed as tainted by a zealous form of self interest. However, a sense of altruism underlies the fundamental reason each of us chose a profession in healthcare. How do we express this altruistic sense of professionalism in a manner that is unquestioned by the public? The Foundation has convened a series of summits including a wide variety of stakeholders to fulfill its mission, but has been hampered in its efforts by a lack of a stable and sufficient funding mechanism. http://www.abrfoundation.org/about 100
National Crisis: Where are the Radiology Professionals?
American College of Radiology
Mission
What We Do
The mission of the ACR is to serve patients and
society by maximizing the value of radiology,
radiation oncology, interventional radiology, nuclear
medicine and medical physics by advancing science
of radiology, improving the quality of patient care,
positively influencing the socio-economics of the
practice of radiology, providing continuing education
for radiology and allied health professionals and
conducting research for the future of radiology.
Represent all our members and the n36,000
diagnostic radiologists and radiation oncologists
practicing in USA.
The College is organized around the following five
pillars:
-Advocacy
-Clinical Research
-Economics
-Education
-Quality and Safety
How We Do It
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Annual Meetings
Capital Hill Visits
Professional Staff
Lobbyists
Annual Workforce Survey of Practice Leaders
(survey present workforce, who was hired past
year, who plan to hire next year and in 2 years)
Provide Continuing Education seminars/workshops
Setting Quality & Safety standards and accrediting
radiology facilities
Our Needs
•
•
•
Ability to be flexible regarding training of residents
and fellows.
Ability to accurately predict the effect of healthcare
policy changes on workforce needs.
Understand how disruptive technologies will effect
and influence workforce demands.
101
National Crisis: Where are the Radiology Professionals? American College of
Radiology
Edward I. Bluth, MD, FACR, FSRU
The mission of the American College of Radiology is such that we are intimately
involved in all issues dealing with Radiology professionals. The ACR represents
approximately 36,000 diagnostic radiologists, radiation oncologists and physicists
practicing in the United States of America.
The ACR is governed by a board of Chancellors. One of the Chancellors is chairman of
the Human Resources Commission. Through this Commission, an annual workforce
survey of practice leaders is conducted. This survey, which has been done for the past
two years, is now an annual activity. The survey identifies the makeup of the present
workforce, what type of specialists and subspecialists were hired during that year and
what is the prediction for hiring specialists and subspecialists the next year and in the
following two years. This survey monitors radiologists, physicists, and technologists.
The ACR hopes therefore to play an important role in predicting the training needs for
radiologists, physicists, technologists and those other allied health professions involved
inradiological sciences. We hope to use this information to influence the training of
radiologists and allied health professionals. The Commission also hopes to predict the
effect of healthcare policy changes on workforce needs and have a role in influencing
those changes. Additionally, we hope to understand how disruptive technologies will
affect and influence workforce demands in the future and as a result we hope to be able to
offer guidance to our members regarding these issues.
102
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)
MISSION
•
•
•
ASTRO is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy.
ASTRO has 10,000 members, with 4500 radiation oncologists. Other members include researchers, physicists, nurses.
Radiation oncologists are board certified physicians who treat 60% of cancer patients using high‐energy X‐rays, electron beams, or radioactive isotopes.
WHAT WE DO
•
•
•
HOW WE DO IT
•
•
Education and CME/SAM offerings – ASTRO Education Staff
• Nuclear Radiologic Preparedness Training Course Part I: Evaluation of the Problem; Part II: Treatment of Exposed Patients; Part III: Follow‐up and Planning [2008 ASTRO Annual Meeting, 99 attendees; Scheduled for 2014 ASTRO Annual Meeting]
Increase investment in radiation oncology research by supporting sustainable and predictable funding –
ASTRO Government Relations Staff
Provide state‐of‐the‐art education and lifelong professional development in the effective use of radiation as a tool for the treatment of patients with cancer and benign disease.
Publish the premier scientific and practice journals in radiation oncology.
Advance the science through research and innovation to improve clinical outcomes for each patient.
OUR NEEDS!
•
•
•
Funding of specific high‐value, high‐quality projects to develop or enhance centers of excellence in radiation‐
related cancer biology and radiation biology.
Strengthening the basic cancer biology/radiation biology curricula of post‐graduate training programs to better prepare residents in radiation oncology to understand and expeditiously adapt new scientific discoveries into their clinical practice and to encourage research efforts in these areas of investigation. Aggressively and widely “market” the activities of these researchers in cancer biology and radiation research. 103
Radiation Oncology Manpower Projections
• It is estimated that between 2010 and 2020, the total number of patients receiving radiation therapy will increase by 22%, and the number of radiation oncologists will increase by 2% (Smith, JCO, 2010).
• ASTRO remains committed to supporting collaborative cancer care, conducting research, providing education, meeting national needs, and collaborating with other professionals.
104
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals? American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) MISSION 


ASTRO is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. ASTRO has 10,000 members, with 4500 US radiation oncologists and 2500 international physicians. Other members include researchers, physicists, and nurses. Radiation oncologists are board certified physicians who treat 60% of cancer patients using high‐energy X‐rays, electron beams, protons, or radioactive isotopes. They work with a comprehensive radiation oncology team including physicists, dosimetrists, nurses, engineers, data managers, radiation therapists (technologists) and others to provide a coordinated care experience. They work collaboratively with medical oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and other members of the cancer team to provide coordinated care for cancer patients. They serve as radiation experts and resources in their hospitals and communities around issues of cancer control, radiation safety, preparedness, and if needed monitoring, decontamination and triage in consultation with colleagues. HOW WE DO IT 


Education and CME/lifelong learning offerings – ASTRO Education staff and faculty Large annual meeting and many disease and procedure focused meetings, journals o Nuclear Radiologic Preparedness Training Course Part I: Evaluation of the Problem; Part II: Treatment of Exposed Patients; Part III: Follow‐up and Planning [2008 ASTRO Annual Meeting, 99 attendees; Half day symposia being planned for 2014] Increase investment in radiation oncology research by supporting sustainable and predictable funding – ASTRO Government Relations staff and members WHAT WE DO 
Provide state‐of‐the‐art education and lifelong professional development in the effective use of radiation as a tool for the treatment of patients with cancer and benign disease. Publish the premier scientific and practice journals in radiation oncology. Advance the science through research and innovation to improve clinical outcomes for each patient. 

OUR NEEDS!  Funding of specific high‐value, high‐quality projects to develop or enhance centers of excellence in radiation‐related cancer biology and radiation biology. o In a 2012 report to Congress, NIH acknowledged that less than 1% of the total NIH budget in FY 2010 and 2011 was spent on radiation oncology research. Just over 4 percent of NCI’s budget was spent on radiation oncology‐specific projects in FY 2010 and 2011. The funding for radiation oncology research is not adequate to sustain new discoveries or the scientists in the field. 105
National Crisis: Where Are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: CRCPD & States
MISSION
David J. Allard, CRCPD’s Liaison to the NCRP
WHAT WE DO
- CRCPD's Mission is "to promote consistency in
addressing and resolving radiation protection
issues, to encourage high standards of quality in
radiation protection programs, and to provide
leadership in radiation safety and education."
- CRCPD & States - Primary Goal is to assure that
radiation exposure to individuals is kept to the
lowest practical level [ALARA], while not
restricting its beneficial uses.
- Protect the environment, public H&S from
controllable sources radiation at the state level
States - Radiation Protection Laws, Regulations
and Guidance.
- Establish & amend state Radiation Control Laws
- Promulgate and update Radiation Protection
Regulations
CRCPD - develop Model Regulations, Standards,
White Papers, Guidance, and Position Statements
States - Train staff for ‘Permitting,’ Inspection and
Emergency Response
- Functional Areas: Radioactive Materials, Waste,
X ray / Accelerators, Radon, Reactors & RadChem
HOW WE DO IT
OUR NEEDS!
States: Managers, Supervisors, Civil Service,
Admin Support, Contract Staff and Union Reps
- Licensing, Registration and Certification Staff
- Inspectors, Compliance and/or Legal Staff
- Emergency Responders (everyone has a role)
- Radiological Health Physicists
- X-ray and Nuclear Medicine Technologists
- Nuclear Engineers and Safety Specialists
Promote: Professional Leadership, Interagency / Association Cooperation, Information
Exchange and Regulatory Uniformity
States - Staff Hiring and Development
- Impending ‘Baby Boomer’ Retirements
- Appropriate Knowledge Transfer
- Program Gaps, Growth and Training
- ‘Growing’ and Retaining Radiological HPs
- Training: RAM, X ray, Radon, Emergency
Response, Non-ionizing, Qualifications
- Fair Salaries, Benefits and Pensions in State
Government, Agencies & Organizations
- Surge Capacity for Emergency Response at
State & Local Level
106
NCRP WARP Meeting
July 17, 2013
National Crisis: Where Are the Radiation Professionals?
The CRCPD / State Government Organization
Perspective
David J. Allard, CRCPD’s Liaison to the NCRP
Abstract & Summary
The CRCPD is a non-profit professional organization formed in 1968 to provide a common
forum for state Radiation Control Programs, as well as a direct interface with their federal
counterparts. CRCPD’s mission is "to promote consistency in addressing and resolving
radiation protection issues, to encourage high standards of quality in radiation protection
programs, and to provide leadership in radiation safety and education." The shared primary
goal of the CRCPD and individual states is to assure that radiation exposure to individuals is
kept to the lowest practical level [ALARA], while not restricting its beneficial uses, and, to
protect the environment, public health and safety from controllable sources radiation at the
state level. While the CRCPD is the organization that may represent states collectively, and
interface with various counterpart federal agencies, the individual states are [most often]
responsible for radiation control within their borders.
Most states have established radiation protection laws, regulations and provide the regulated
community with appropriate guidance. These laws, regulations and guides pertain to the
functional areas of: radioactive materials, low-level radioactive waste, x ray and accelerators,
indoor radon and emergency response for power reactors. At this point in time, it is a fairly
infrequent situation where a state needs establish or amend a state radiation control law,
however, states often promulgate and update their regulations. This is where the CRCPD
provides value through the development of model state regulations, guidance, standards,
white papers and position statements. To implement state radiation control programs
requires a cadre managers, supervisors, administrative support, and technical staff.
State staff will perform the functions of: permitting (i.e., licensing and registration of radiation
sources), certification of individuals or operations, inspection of facilities and operations, and,
radiological emergency response. Technical and admin staff most likely enter state
employment through a Civil Service Commission process, but in the case of upper
management, may be appointed. For management and operational technical positions, staff
come from the occupational disciplines of: Radiological Health Physics, X-ray and Nuclear
Medicine Technology, Nuclear Engineering and the Nuclear Safety areas. Regardless of an
individual’s academics, experience and professional credentials, currently in state radiation
control programs, they will most likely require additional training to qualify for licensing,
inspection or compliance work. Similarly, specific training is required for state emergency
responders with respect to the national emergency response framework, emergency support
functional areas and state and federal, state and local protocols and procedures for effective
nuclear / radiological emergency response.
107
With the CRCPD and states’ shared objects to promote professional leadership, inter-agency /
association cooperation, information exchange and regulatory uniformity – we need to
maintain a highly trained workforce in the technically challenging areas of radiation protection
and control and nuclear safety. With the ongoing and impending ‘Baby Boomer’ retirements
from state service there needs to be opportunity for appropriate knowledge transfer. To do
this state human resource (HR) organizations need to critically examine their staff hiring
approaches and staff development requirements. Without a change in HR practices where key
staff positions are allowed to overlap with outgoing and incoming staff, important program
experience and institutional knowledge may be lost. For perhaps every state, the fiscal
situation is the same, with revenue shortfalls causing hiring freezes and stagnant salaries.
Each state is faced with the dilemma of fair salaries for management and union contractcovered staff, and the increasing cost of benefits and pensions in state agencies,
organizations and government overall.
Through the years, state government salaries have been low relative to their federal and
private sector counterparts. Yet states have been able to recruit and retain staff, e.g.,
Radiological Health Physicists (RHPs), with the prospect of good healthcare benefits and a
defined retirement income at the end of an individual’s career. Should states continue to
move away from that traditional model and maintain lower salaries, but with reduced
healthcare and pension benefits – this will no doubt lead to fewer numbers of candidate RHPs
to hire, and long-term problems in growing and retaining RHPs. There is current evidence in
the NRC Agreement States area to illustrate the program gaps and difficulty states are having
in ‘growing’ and training RHPs.
Looking ahead, this writer predicts that states will need to retrain individuals and recent
graduates with degrees in science for state radiation control work in the areas of: radioactive
materials, x ray / accelerators, radon, radiological emergency response and non-ionizing
radiation. Once training and qualifications are complete, states may have to accept the fact
they will have a significant fraction of their staff leave state service for federal or private
sector positions. Lastly, for some state and local-level radiological emergency response
scenarios (e.g., NPP accidents, RDDs or INDs), there will never be sufficient numbers of RHPs
for surge capacity population radiation monitoring. Thus, we must go ‘back to the future’ with
the old Civil Defense model and recruit volunteers for radiation monitoring.
Rev 0 [7-5-2013]
108
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Professional Organization: Health Physics Society
MISSION
Promoting excellence in the science and
practice of radiation protection
HOW WE DO IT
Hold annual and midyear technical meetings
Publish Health Physics Journal, Operational
Radiation Safety and HP News
Provide continuing education opportunities
Support 42 US and 2 international chapters
Recognize professional accomplishments
Involve students through Student Support
Committee activities, fellowships and grants
Develop and maintain ANSI standards in rad safety
Maintain relationships with vendors
“Ask the Experts” and radiationanswers.org web
page
Employment exchange
WHAT WE DO
Support and promote best practices in radiation
safety
Conduct public information and outreach efforts
Facilitate professional contacts and interaction
Accredit academic programs (thru AIHA)
Inform Congress and federal agencies on Radiation
Safety issues
Conduct continuing professional education
programs
OUR NEEDS!
Sustain the services of the Society to the HP
profession by maintaining/increasing
membership levels
• Recruitment and retention of Full members
• Attract student members and retain after
graduation
• Identify and develop qualified volunteers for
leadership positions
• Develop/deploy multimedia outreach
program to appeal to younger radiation safety
professionals
• Increase efficiency of delivery of
professional/technical info to members
109
Abstract – Health Physics Society Quad Chart Kathryn H. Pryor Who we are: The Health Physics Society (HPS) was founded in 1956 as a professional society dedicated to promoting excellence in the science and practice of Radiation Safety. The HPS has a current membership of approximately 5000, consisting of plenary/full, associate, fellow, life, student and affiliate categories of membership. Our plenary membership was as high as 4200 in 2001, but today, plenary membership has fallen to 2700. The 61 affiliate (vendor) members exhibit at our meetings. The HPS has 9 technical sections, and charters 42 local chapters in the US and 2 international chapters (Taiwan, Republic of Georgia). What we do and how we do it: The HPS provides products and services to support and promote best practices in radiation safety. This is principally accomplished through technical meetings, continuing education opportunities, national consensus standards and professional publications. The HPS holds two technical meetings each year – the mid‐year topical symposium and the annual meeting. The meetings provide attendees with current technical presentations, vendor exhibitions and networking opportunities with other radiation safety professionals. Embedded in each meeting are Professional Enrichment Program (PEP) and Continuing Education Lecture (CEL) courses, which provide professional level continuing education opportunities and continuing education credits for health physicists who are certified by the American Board of Health Physics. The professional accomplishments of members are recognized annually by various HPS awards, which are presented at the annual meeting’s awards banquet. The HPS provides additional education opportunities through our Professional Development Schools, which are held approximately annually. The PDS’s consist of three to five days of instruction on a single topic or focus area by HPS members who are experts in that area. The HPS engages in public information and outreach efforts through our “Ask the Experts” feature on our website, our Position Statements and Fact Sheets, and our Radiationanswers.org website. Our government relations program, consisting of a Congressional/Federal Agency Liaison and a Washington Representative (who is resident in DC), seeks to promote the HPS as a source of expertise in radiation safety for congress and federal agencies. The HPS publishes two professional journals – Health Physics and Operational Radiation Safety – and the monthly electronic publication Health Physics News. The HPS also functions as the secretariat for the ANSI/HPS N13 and N43 committees, developing and publishing consensus standards. Through our members’ only website, members can post resumes and job openings. The HPS awards 8 to 10 named scholarships/fellowships to students and provides partial travel support to the annual meetings through 60 to 70 travel grants. In addition, two of the technical sections provide awards to students for presentations in their topical area. Students have opportunities to participate in the HPS through the Student Support Committee, the Student mentoring program, and Student reception. The chair of the student support committee is one of the advisors to the Board of Directors. The HPS accredits academic programs in health physics through ABET via a Memorandum of Understanding with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). 110
Health Physics Society Page 2 Our needs: Recruitment and retention of members into the HPS is of prime importance. The HPS needs to reverse the decline in membership and maintain sufficient membership levels to continue to provide products and services to the health physics profession. Without adequate membership levels, the volunteer pool will shrink to the point that it will be difficult to put on technical meetings, teach continuing education courses, provide education and outreach to the public, federal agencies and congress, publish the technical journals and develop consensus standards. To this end, the HPS needs to recruit and retain plenary/full members to replace those who have retired or passed on. We also need to attract and retain students while still in their academic programs, and then transition them to plenary members upon graduation. We need to identify and develop qualified volunteers for committee chair, director and officer positions within the HPS. Attracting younger members requires a more forward‐thinking approach to communications (e.g., social media, webinars and electronic communications). Finally, we need to increase the efficiency of development and delivery of professional/technical products and services for our members. We need to move towards innovative ways to provide professional products/services to our members in the face of shrinking budgets, travel restrictions and competition with other interests for members’ time and attention. 111
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Organization: US Commercial Nuclear Power Reactors
MISSION
-Protecting worker and public health and safety in
support of safe, reliable and economic operation and
decommissioning of commercial nuclear power
reactors
• Comply with USNRC, USEPA, and USDHS/FEMA
radiation protection regulations
• Pursue excellence in radiation protection (in
accordance with Institute of Nuclear Power
Operations criteria)
• Manage radiation liability and risk (in accordance
with American Nuclear Insurers criterai)
HOW WE DO IT
-40-60 Health Physicists
-800-1200 Health Physics Technicians
-20-40 Radio-chemists
-240-360 Radiochemistry Technicians
-600-800 Contractor Health Physicists and
Health Physics Technicians
WHAT WE DO
Develop and implement comprehensive radiation
protection programs to support safe, reliable and
economical operation and decommissioning of
commercial nuclear power reactors, including:
• Occupational radiation protection
• Public radiation protection (radiological effluents
and environmental monitoring)
• Radioactive source safety and security
• Radioactive waste management
• Emergency planning, preparedness and response
OUR NEEDS!
-Continued professional development of existing
staff
-Replacement staff to address retirement and
attrition
-Entry level professional and technician staff
-Stability in regulations and standards
-Enhanced emergency response (radiation
protection) capability for severe accidents
-Better understanding of low dose radiation risk
incorporated into radiation protection policy and
regulation
112
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Organization: National Registry of Radiation Protection Technologists (NRRPT)
MISSION
WHAT WE DO
Develop standards and procedures for the
registration of Radiation Protection
Technologists (RPTs); to institute examinations
leading to registration; and to issue written
proof of registration to individuals who possess
the required qualifications for registration.
Evaluate applicants – 5 year minimally qualified
The objective is to encourage and promote the
education and training of RPTs and, by so doing,
promote and advance the science of Health
Physics.
HOW WE DO IT
Initial job task analysis to determine scope and
extent of required knowledge
Review of applicant education and experience
Examinations
-Developed by multi-disciplinary Panel of
Examiners
-Two exams per year in US
-Version for use in Canada
American Council of Education (ACE) Credit
Recommendation – 30 semester hours
Perform examinations – Criteria based, 150 question
exam covers broad-based radiation protection
knowledge of accelerators, university health physics
programs, medical health physics, power reactors,
government radiological facilities, radioactive waste
disposal, transportation of radioactive material,
fundamentals, and regulatory requirements
Registration Maintenance – 5 year cycle to
demonstrate currency
OUR NEEDS!
Backfill for impending retirements
More programs to develop RPTs
-In-House development programs
-More college/university programs
Sustainable employment throughout the year to
maintain core of contract RPTs
Closer working relationships with sister
organizations
113
National Registry of Radiation Protection Technologists
The NRRPT was established in 1976 through the sponsorship of the Health Physics Society
and the American Board of Health Physics. The purposes of the NRRPT are to develop
standards and procedures for the registration of Radiation Protection Technologists (RPTs); to
institute examinations leading to registration; and to issue written proof of registration to
individuals who possess the required qualifications for registration. The objective of the NRRPT
is to encourage and promote the education and training of Radiation Protection Technologists
and, by doing so, promote the science of Health Physics.
The NRRPT currently has 5,257 registered members, of which approximately 1600 maintain
Active Practitioner status.
114
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Scientific Society – Radiation Research Society
MISSION
•
•
•
To encourage in the broadest manner the
advancement of radiation research in all
areas of the natural sciences;
To facilitate cooperative research between
the disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology
and medicine in the study of the properties
and effects of radiation;
To promote dissemination of knowledge in
these and related fields through publications,
meetings and educational symposia.
HOW WE DO IT
•
•
Hold annual meeting attended by national and
international radiation researchers
Offer facilities for “Scholars-in-Training”
(SITs), consisting of:


•
Discounted membership and registration rates
1 day workshop for SITs held prior to annual
meeting
Provide financial support for radiation
meetings attended by our SITs (e.g. Gordon
conference, ERR, NCRP, etc.) as well as
providing financial support for International
Congress of Radiation Research
WHAT WE DO
Serve as a home for a broad spectrum of researchers
in all branches of the radiation sciences
OUR NEEDS!
Junior faculty members
• Providing opportunities for career
development (generation of faculty positions)
• Assistance with grant funding (small pilot
grants, bridging funds)
Senior faculty members
• Job security
• Bridging funds
• Acknowledgement of radiation as a viable field
115
Where Are the Radiation Professionals? – A RRS (and CMCR) Perspective.
Jacqueline Williams, PhD, FASTRO
Professor, University of Rochester Medical Center
The Radiation Research Society offers a unique home to all radiation professionals, especially
those involved in any form of radiation research, but focused on radiation chemists, physicists,
biologists and oncologists. The Society holds an annual meeting, which draws together many
members of the radiation research community, both national and international. In order to try and
assist our budding researchers, we offer a separate class of discounted membership (Scholars-inTraining [SITs]) to graduate and post-doctoral students, and offer these young people a number
of benefits, including discounted meeting registration, travel funding to attend the annual
meeting (~100 are provided annually), and a dedicated workshop held immediately prior to the
annual meeting.
As the former Chair of the Membership Committee and immediate past President of the
Radiation Research Society, I have observed that the overall membership numbers of the Society
have been in a relatively steep decline since the early 1990s. Most noticeably, despite the efforts
being made on behalf of the SITs, the average number of graduates making the transition from
SIT to full membership is ~3-8%. This has led to a growing “black hole” in our membership
ranks between the younger trainees and the increasingly gray, older members. Surveys
performed by the SITs themselves and also by the membership committee have resulted in a long
list of reasons why this transition is not being made, but many cite the lack of available
progressive employment (the lack of a clear career path) and the perception that there are few
grants available in the field (with fierce competition for those that are available). So I would go
further to ask where are all of the radiation professionals going once they have been trained?
The efforts currently being made by the RRS are to expand on the proffered travel funding to
include those members that can be defined as junior faculty. In addition, I am currently leading
an effort to develop a Foundation with the sole mission of providing assistance to junior faculty
in the form of meeting travel grants, pilot funding and/or funding for sabbatical visits to mentors/
teaching labs. However, the limitation on funding means that such efforts will be a mere drop in
the bucket when it comes to rescuing our declining membership numbers.
With respect to the CMCRs, following the events of 9/11, there was a realization at the Federal
level that there was little to no ability to respond to a large scale nuclear or radiological event and
a dearth of radiation scientists to be able to enable such a response, leading to part of the NIAID
CBRN funding being targeted particularly at the radiation response. As a participant, and now PI,
of one of the resulting Centers for Medical Countermeasures against Radiation (CMCR),
currently ending their eighth year of funding, I have witnessed a transition in Federal attitudes
towards radiation and its workforce. In the original RFI, questions were raised regarding training
and education of a radiation research workforce. In the original RFA, all CMCRs were required
to have a training component; this was removed during the subsequent recompete, although the
CMCRs are still strongly encouraged to include members from diverse disciplines in their
Centers in an attempt to broaden the radiation workforce. However, this has had limited results
and, if anything, has increased the numbers of scientists competing for the ever decreasing
numbers of grants available in this field.
116
NOT PRESENTING
National Crisis: Where are the Radiology Professionals?
American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
Mission
The ARRT promotes high standards of patient care by
recognizing qualified individuals in medical imaging,
interventional procedures and radiation therapy.
ARRT’s nine-member Board of Trustees, 75-member
staff, and over a hundred volunteers serving on various
committees work together to achieve the mission.
How We Do It
ARRT develops personnel standards that define what it means to be qualified
to perform medical imaging and radiation therapy and uses those standards to
evaluate individuals applying for certification and registration. The standards
fall into three categories: Education, Ethics, and Examination. The education
requirement applies at entry into the profession and to points beyond entry. At
entry, individuals must document completion of an accredited educational
program that includes both didactic and clinical requirements as specified by
ARRT. Every two years after initial certification individuals must document
completion of suitable continuing education to maintain registration of their
certificate. The ethics requirement must be met at the point of initial
certification and every year upon renewal of registration. ARRT’s Standards of
Ethics include both a Code of Ethics which is aspirational and Rules of Ethics
which are enforceable. The examination requirement applies only at entry into
the profession, but for all certifications issued in 2011 and thereafter, there is a
structured self assessment that must be completed every ten years to assess
knowledge gaps which must then be remediated.
What We Do
ARRT offers certification programs in 15 categories
of medical imaging and radiation therapy and
maintains a searchable database of individuals who
earned initial certification and maintain registration
of that certification. The database is public and is
available to employers, patients, and members of
the profession.
Our Needs
Better business intelligence to more quickly detect
changing practice patterns which affect the
qualifications needed for technologists in medical
imaging and radiation therapy.
117
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Accrediting Organization: Health Physics Academic Programs
MISSION
-
to educate radiation safety professionals to meet the
challenges of the future.
HOW WE DO IT
-There are about 40 programs nationally which selfreport a capability to provide some training/education
in Health Physics.
-Perhaps 12 programs have sufficient faculty and staff
to provide the numbers of newly graduated students at
B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. levels to have an appreciable
effect on the national needs for radiation professionals.
Considering these programs, 7 are currently
accredited by ABET Inc., at the M.S. or B.S
WHAT WE DO
-
Programs specialize in many different areas including
every facet of the nuclear fuel cycle (mining,
enrichment, fabrication, power generation, recycling
and disposal) to radiological control at national
laboratories, hospitals, and research centers.
-
Our students are engaged in every aspect of the
nuclear industry ranging from radioanalytical
surveillance, radioecology, dosimetry, and radiological
engineering to radiation biology, and regulatory
support.
OUR NEEDS!
The short term needs are evident: Federal funding of
previously existing student scholarship and fellowship
programs, cut recently in the administration’s proposed
budget, must be restored.
Specific research programs aimed at improving current
technology in Health Physics need to be developed.
118
Who we are: Overwhelmingly the mission of the Health Physics Academic Programs in the United States is to educate radiation safety professionals to meet the challenges of the future. Programs specialize in many different areas from operational safety in every facet of the nuclear fuel cycle (mining, enrichment, fabrication, power generation, recycling and disposal) to radiological control at national laboratories, hospitals, and research centers. Our students are engaged in every aspect of the nuclear industry ranging from radioanalytical surveillance, radioecology, dosimetry, and radiological engineering to radiation biology, and regulatory support. There are about 40 programs nationally which self‐report a capability to provide some training/education in Health Physics. Perhaps 12 programs have sufficient faculty and staff to provide the numbers of newly graduated students at B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. levels to have an appreciable effect on the national needs for radiation professionals. Considering these programs, 7 are currently accredited by ABET Inc., at the M.S. or B.S. levels1. What we do: Undergraduate programs typically award B.S. degrees in Physics, Engineering, and Environmental Sciences. Most programs require about 120 credits for graduation, perhaps up to a third of those credits are in discipline specific topics, another third in math and physical sciences, and the remaining third in general educational requirements. Graduate programs at the M.S. level typically have at least a 30‐credit graduation requirement and vary with respect to thesis or non‐thesis options. As research degrees, Ph.D. programs vary considerably. The majority of current academic programs have access to some sort of distance learning capability; however, this technology is not universally exploited within the discipline. With few exceptions, most distance learning programs are relatively small. During strong economic times the programs as a whole can produce between 100 to about 170 graduates annually. Current graduate production based on a great deal of experience is anticipated to follow labor market trends. We are in the mist of arguably the worst job market in several decades. The nature of the job market varies considerably among various regions in the country. It appears to be strongest in the Southeast, and East central regions of the country. While graduate production has been anemic, it has been steady; but it is likely to drop over the next few years. How we do it: While undergraduate students are eligible for various loans and federal at‐large student grants, it is estimated that not more than 5% of undergraduates are supported institutionally in the disciplines of Health Physics or Radiological Engineering nationally. Graduate Student support is more prevalent. Most graduate students are at least partially supported through programs, as part of faculty research, or scientific support contracts. Until recently, some graduate student funding was available through the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the United States Department of Energy. Industry and professional societies do provide some support at different institutions. Many institutions contacted to develop a picture of the present situation, reported student support resources dwindling to alarmingly low levels. 1
6 of the 7 are accredited under the auspicious of ABET’s Applied Science Accreditation Commission, 1 is accredited under the Engineering Accredit Commission in the area of Radiological Engineering. 119
Our Needs! Optimistically, we all anticipate that the economy will pick up in the future. At that instant in time two things are likely to occur. Retirements that have been long pending will be implemented, and frozen demand for new professionals will be opened. The current pipeline of young professionals in the discipline will be insufficient to meet demand. This scenario has been long understood. We further anticipate that starting salaries will rise in response to high demand and low supply followed by an inevitable migration of individuals with mismatched qualifications into this specific market. The short term needs are evident: Federal funding of previously existing student scholarship and fellowship programs, cut recently in the administration’s proposed budget, must be restored. Efforts must be made to develop industrial and government agency ties to place qualified students into entry level and intern positions to replace people and even more importantly experience being lost by attrition. Specific research programs aimed at improving current technology in Health Physics need to be developed. If research funding is available and targeted to existing viable programs, these programs will once again bloom. Research areas for potential investment span the discipline from new and improved instrumentation for surveillance and monitoring, dosimetry and radionuclide translocation research, to radioecology, radiobiology, epidemiology, and toxicology – explicitly to develop better precision on fundamental dose response relationships. All areas in radiological emergency response are open ended research and development problems which the academic community could contribute to under the auspicious responsibility of educators. 120
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Accrediting Organization: Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational
Programs, Inc.
MISSION
-CAMPEP’s mission is to promote consistent, high
quality education and training of medical physicists.
-This mission is achieved by evaluating and
accrediting medical physics educational programs
that meet the educational standards established by
CAMPEP in collaboration with its sponsoring
organizations.
HOW WE DO IT
-Establish guidelines for graduate, residency,
and continuing education programs.
-Review application material submitted by
educational programs seeking accreditation.
-Provide recommendations to programs
following the evaluation process.
WHAT WE DO
-Establish educational standards such as defining
appropriate levels of clinical training and education,
evaluation criteria, and documentation for graduate,
residency, and continuing education programs.
-Verify these standards are achieved and maintained
by programs applying and/or accredited by CAMPEP.
OUR NEEDS!
-Ensure CAMPEP and the value of medical
physics accreditation is appreciated by
physicians, administrators, professional
colleagues, and the general public.
121
Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational
Programs, Inc.
The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs, Inc. (CAMPEP) is
a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote consistent, high quality education and
training of medical physicists. (Medical physics is the application of physics to the practice of
medicine, including but not limited to the application of ionizing radiation to the diagnosis and/or
treatment of human diseases.) The mission of CAMPEP is achieved by evaluating and
accrediting graduate, residency, and continuing education programs that meet the educational
standards established by CAMPEP in collaboration with its sponsoring organizations.
Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process of peer review to ensure that a program
or institution meets defined standards. A program seeking accreditation must submit its
application materials to CAMPEP. The submitted materials are reviewed by the appropriate
CAMPEP committee (Graduate Education Program Review Committee (GEPRC), Residency
Education Program Review Committee (REPRC), or Continuing Education Review Committee
(CERC)). Once the materials have been reviewed, questions and recommendations are
provided to the programs. In the case of graduate and residency programs, a formal site visit to
validate the application materials is performed by a survey team, consisting of 2- 3 medical
physicists and usually a physician. At the conclusion of the site visit, an exit interview is
performed to provide general findings and recommendations to the program director, and a
subsequent written report is prepared for the appropriate CAMPEP committee. The committee
votes on the report and submits its recommendations for accreditation to the CAMPEP board of
directors for a final decision on accreditation. Programs may be granted full accreditation (5
year accreditation), partial accreditation (3 year accreditation with periodic reports
demonstrating how the program is remediating deficiencies), accreditation deferred (providing a
non-compliant program with an opportunity to implement planned or suggested improvements)
or accreditation withheld.
The goal of CAMPEP is to ensure that the CAMPEP medical physics accreditation process is
fully understood and appreciated by physicians, hospital administrators, professional
colleagues, and the general public.
122
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Academic Radiology: Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital
MISSION
-Ensure that patients receive the greatest net
benefit from diagnostic imaging
-Optimize radiation exposure levels to maximize
benefit and minimize risk
-Guide appropriate utilization of imaging that
involves radiation exposure
WHAT WE DO
-Research
-Institutional Policy
-Dose monitoring
-Imaging Protocols
-Education
HOW WE DO IT
-Dose-reduction technologies
-Risk-reduction strategies
-Medical decision-making
-Physicians, physicists, technologists
OUR NEEDS!
-Radiologists and Nuclear Medicine Specialists
-Interdisciplinary clinical teams
-Medical Physicists
-Imaging Technologists
-Interdisciplinary research
-Referring Clinicians
-Interdisciplinary education and training
-Health Informatics Experts
-Experts in Medical Decision-Making
123
Radiation Risks and Medical Decision-Making:
Moving Evidence to Practice
Pari V. Pandharipande, M.D., M.P.H.
Abstract for WARP Meeting, July 17, Arlington, Virginia
As a radiologist and health services researcher, I see a clear need to develop rational
approaches to decision-making when radiation exposure is a concern, but there are few
investigators working in this field. Most research in cancer risks from imaging is centered in
epidemiology, cancer biology, and medical physics. The translation of evidence into practice
has received far less attention, a gap in dissemination that threatens patient care. While
radiation-induced cancer risks may not seem different than other medical risks that physicians
commonly weigh, unique features related to their magnitude, timing, and cumulative effects
make them difficult to conceptualize. Early studies indicate that many physicians do not know
or understand key properties of radiation risks, making them vulnerable to harmful biases when
deciding whether or not to order an imaging test. This evolving area of inquiry is already being
outpaced by policy decisions: recent institution-level mandates for cumulative exposure
reporting will leave many patients and physicians with data that they are not equipped to
interpret. Investments to build a greater workforce in this field will be critically important and
should ideally target expertise in decision science, mathematics and physics, survey research,
clinical medicine, and health policy. The best time to build is now, when there remains an
opportunity to effectively shape new policies and practices, and when the solutions yielded
could also benefit fields beyond clinical imaging.
124
What We Do
Mission
Align the collective expertise and capabilities available within the membership to grow an internationally‐recognized resource that plays a significant role in global nuclear security
Focus on five principal thematic areas, or “pillars” for addressing nuclear security concerns:
• Policy, Law and Diplomacy
• Education and Training
• Science and Technology
• Operational and Intelligence Capabilities
• Real world missions
How We Do It
•
•
•
•
•
Policy Analysis
Research
Education
Training
Field activities
Our Needs!
•
•
•
•
•
Education/Training for mid‐career professionals
Stable support for graduate student research
Opportunities for greater faculty engagements with mission agencies Research and academic programs in Nuclear Engineer field related to Nuclear Security
Agency engagement with our academic mission (visits, lectures, seminars, internships, etc.)
125
About the Institute
Founded in 2012, the UT Institute for Nuclear Security (INS) seeks to achieve the following:
• Marshal and coordinate the collective resources of the members to more effectively solve important global security needs,
• Enable better and broader collaborations
among the members,
• Develop an intellectual leadership position in
shaping the national and international dialogue on nuclear security policy and practice,
• Establish a standing means to communicate
the remarkable synergy in nuclear security capabilities both among the members as well as
to potential sponsors, and
• Enhance the ability of the members to engage
in activities that attract and educate the next
generation of experts in this field.
Through the INS, UT and the INS Members bring
together a university nuclear security program,
strong nuclear security missions, close organizational ties, geographic co-location, and access to
working nuclear facilities all engaged in nationally/globally relevant work.
INS focuses its efforts in five principal thrust areas:
• Policy, law, and diplomacy
• Education and training
• Science and technology
• Operational and intelligence capability building
• “Real world” missions and applications
The INS reaches across the many UT disciplines
and academic departments that can contribute to
the nuclear security field. INS fosters research,
development, service, teaching, and related schol-
arly activities across the entire membership - both
at the university and among our partner institutions. INS supports the development of enhanced
educational capabilities for nuclear security within
the academic units of the UT, and more broadly
through the ORAU partnership.
The objectives for the INS are to:
• Establish a robust set of collaborative projects
in nuclear security across the Members,
• Strengthen the nuclear security focus in the UT
Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy
and in the UT academic units,
• Increase the competitiveness of the Members
in pursuing sponsored programs through strategic partnering,
• Engage academic and Member staff in new collaborative and synergistic opportunities,
• Develop new educational and training offerings in nuclear security, building on the collective expertise and capabilities of the Members,
and
• Increase the leadership and intellectual influence of the Members in nuclear security issues.
UT is joined in this effort by Charter Members Oak
Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security Complex, and Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
More information on the UT Institute for Nuclear
Security is available at nuclear.utk.edu.
126
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
University Programs: Oak Ridge Associate Universities
MISSION
To advance national priorities and
serve the public interest by
integrating academic,
government, and scientific
resources globally.
WHAT WE DO
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
(ORAU) provides a single resource for
developing and administering highquality, experience-based programs to
fill the pipeline with the next generation
of science and technology leaders.
(http://www.orau.org/scienceeducation/default.aspx)
HOW WE DO IT
OUR NEEDS!
• Concrete partnerships and
relationships with academic
programs (suppliers) and
employers (end users)
•
•
Opportunities
Mentors
• Increased sources of funding
• Better optics on emerging
markets
127
Health Physics Enrollments and Degrees, 2011
Summary Information
Number 71
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
2012
Survey Universe. The survey includes degrees granted between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011.
Enrollment information refers to the fall term 2011. The enrollment and degree data include students majoring in
health physics or in an option program equivalent to a major. Twenty-four academic programs reported having
health physics programs during 2011. The data for two health physics options within nuclear engineering programs
are also included in the enrollments and degrees that are reported in the nuclear engineering enrollments and
degrees data.
Degree Trends. Bachelor degrees increased slightly between 2010 and 2011, but were 15% less than during
2005 through 2009 and 30% less than in the mid-1990s. Master’s degrees decreased slightly (by 4%) between
2010 and 2011, and continued to be larger than the numbers in the early 2000s, but were 21% lower than
experienced in 2008 and almost 60% lower than during the mid-1990s. Ph.D. degrees in 2011 were only one-third
the number in 2010 and continued a pattern of oscillations reported over the last ten years, but considerably less
than in the early 2000s and were only 10% of the number experienced during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Health Physics Degrees, 2001 - 2011
Year
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
B.S.
64
62
77
73
79
71
78
54
56
41
37
M.S.
85
89
83
108
91
90
77
64
73
76
71
Ph.D.
5
15
9
8
28
12
14
14
25
20
23
Enrollment Trends. Undergraduate junior and senior student enrollment in 2011 was almost 25% lower than in
2007, but 65% higher than in 2001. Graduate student enrollment in 2011 was 20% lower than in 2007 and only
slightly higher (5%) than in 2001.
Health Physics Enrollments Trends
Fall 2001 - Fall 2011
500
Number
400
300
200
100
0
Fall
2001
Fall
2003
Fall
2005
Undergrad Students (Jr+Sr)
Fall
2007
Fall
2009
Fall
2011
Graduate Students
Prepared by: Analysis and Evaluation, Science Education Programs, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, October 2012.
This document was prepared for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities under
128
DOE contract number DE-AC05-06OR23100.
Nuclear Engineering Enrollments and Degrees, 2011
Summary Information
Number 70
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
2012
Survey Universe. The survey includes degrees granted between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011.
Enrollment information refers to the fall term 2011. The enrollment and degree data include students majoring in
nuclear engineering or in an option program equivalent to a major. Thirty-two academic programs reported
having nuclear engineering programs during 2011, and data was received from all thirty-two programs. The data
for two nuclear engineering programs include enrollments and degrees in health physics options that are also
reported in the health physics enrollments and degrees data.
Degree Trends. Bachelor degrees increased 18% in 2011 over 2010, matching the number of bachelor degrees
in the late 1980s but 40% less than the numbers in the late 1970s. Master’s degrees decreased 9% between
2010 and 2011, matching the number of master’s degrees in the mid-1990s but 40% less than the numbers in the
mid-1970s. Ph.D. degrees remained the same between 2010 and 2011, but about 10% less than the numbers in
the early 1990s and 35% less than in the early 1970s.
Nuclear Engineering Degrees, 2001 - 2011
Year
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
B.S.
524
443
395
454
413
346
268
219
166
195
120
M.S.
277
303
233
260
227
214
171
154
132
130
145
Ph.D.
113
113
87
127
89
70
74
75
78
67
80
Enrollment Trends. Undergraduate junior and senior student enrollments increased by 30% in 2011 over 2010,
continuing the upward trend reported in all but one year since 2001. Graduate student enrollments decreased by
4% in 2011 compared to 2010, the first decrease reported in 10 years.
Nuclear Engineering Enrollments Trends
Fall 2001 - Fall 2011
2100
1800
Number
1500
1200
900
600
300
0
Fall
2001
Fall
2003
Fall
2005
Undergrad Students (Jr+Sr)
Fall
2007
Fall
2009
Fall
2011
Graduate Students
Prepared by: Analysis and Evaluation, Science Education Programs, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, October 2012.
This document was prepared for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities
129
under DOE contract number DE-AC05-06OR23100.
Nuclear Workforce Ageing Trends
Source: US NRC Radiation Exposure Information and Reporting System
9
130
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Specialty: Radioecologists / Environmental Health Physics
MISSION
• Protect public and environment from unnecessary
exposure to anthropogenic and technologically
enhanced natural radioactivity
• Establish and conduct environmental radiological
surveillance programs
• Assess environmental radiological impact using
models and/or field measurements
• Develop dispersion models, determine biological
uptake and transfer coefficients, and derive doseconversion factors
• Prepare / respond to large scale radiological releases
• Create and deploy countermeasures for existing /
planned / accidental radiological releases
HOW WE DO IT
• National, international and state policy development
and implementation:
• Scientists and managers in DOE, EPA, NRC, CDC
USGS, State and tribal offices
• Scientific research
• Faculty and students in Academia
• Health Physicists/ Radioecologists in National
Laboratories
• Cleanup and remediation actions:
• Consulting companies
• Emergency response
• All of the above
WHAT WE DO
• Establish/enforce requirements of environmental
radiation protection regulations including those of:
• NRC, DOE, EPA, MSHA, USGS/DOI,
• State and Tribal entities
• International treaties and obligations
• Revise radiation regulations and standards based on
evolving science, current law, and public policy
• Improve the science underpinning all of the above
• Conduct radiological remediation efforts
OUR NEEDS!
• Impending retirements risk:
• Loss of institutional knowledge
• Loss of technical expertise
• Heightened probability of accidental exposures
• Insufficient human capital for emergency response
/consequence management
• Outmoded technical knowledge and data gaps
• Restrict efforts to create cost effective solutions
that meet stakeholder needs and regulatory
obligations
131
Where are the Radiation Professionals: Radioecology/Environmental Health Physics K.A. Higley, PhD, CHP, Professor Radioecologists and environmental health physicists are concerned with the movement of radionuclides through the biosphere, up to and including the exposure of humans. They protect the public and environment from unnecessary exposure to anthropogenic and technologically enhanced natural radioactivity. They establish or conduct environmental radiological surveillance programs and assess impact using models and/or field measurements. As part of Federal, State or private research groups they determine biological uptake and transfer coefficients, and derive dose‐conversion factors. For many, their work may involve development and application of calculational tools to estimate radiological transport. Some create new protocols to measure radionuclides in the environment. Others work to develop strategies to block and /or mitigate the consequences of radiological releases from accident or routine events. These very specialized radiation professionals help develop and revise the technical basis underpinning many of the regulations and standards for protection of the public and the environment based on evolving science, current law, and public policy. They work with international organizations such as the IAEA, UNSCEAR and ICRP to see that the US interests are reflected in international treaties and other obligations related to the safe release or disposal of radionuclides. Unfortunately, the number of environmental health physicists and radioecologists is dwindling. Individuals with knowledge and expertise in this area are rapidly aging. Academic programs that have focused on environmental health physics or radioecology have largely disappeared, and only a handful of graduates are produced each year. Unfortunately, the need for individuals with this specific expertise remains. Recent publications from the IAEA and the ICRP have highlighted the vast gaps in our understanding of the movement and transfer of radionuclides in the biosphere. Published studies challenge the safety protection framework currently employed for protection of the environment. Increased use of fracking as a resource extraction technology have raised concerns over managing large quantities of NORM waste. These issues cannot be addressed without a sound understanding of environmental health physics and radioecology. It also calls into question our ability to effectively and economically protect the public and environment from radioactive releases resulting from accidents or intentional discharges. The US needs individuals trained in the field of radioecology/environmental health physics. Impending retirements risk loss of institutional knowledge. With the loss of technical expertise comes the heightened probability of accidental over exposures – or conversely, costly and destructive over remediation. Most importantly, use of outmoded technical knowledge will hinder the effort to create technically defensible, cost effective solutions that meet stakeholder needs and regulatory obligations. 132
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Summer Undergraduate Program to Educate Radiation Scientists, [email protected]
MISSION
-To expose talented undergraduate students to
careers related to STEM fields, especially those
involving cancer and radiation.
-To attract students into the program who come
from underserved populations, including race,
socioeconomic class, women and persons with
disabilities.
-To mentor students during and after the
program
-To follow student’s careers until they achieve a
PhD (or similar degree).
HOW WE DO IT
-Grant Co-PIs: Evans, Koumenis
-Program Director: Tuttle
-Education evaluator: Shea
-Advisory Board: Zeman, Rockwell, Avery,
Busch, Ross
-Sponsors (social) – Siemans, Department of
Radiation Oncology, Penn SOM
-PIs, graduate students, post-docs, senior
technicians
-Students
WHAT WE DO
Educate rising college sophomores and juniors in
radiation biology, physics, imaging, space radiation
using:
-Lectures
-Small group sessions (journal clubs)
-One on one laboratory training
Students are given the opportunity to present their
research as a chalk talk and a power point
presentation during the program.
OUR NEEDS!
-Program growth
-support to increase size and scope of
program
-funds to address increasing costs
-Program gaps
-i.e. expand mentoring in program
-add career mentoring to program
-Increased access to racial minorities by visiting
school that serve under represetned minorities
133
Summer Undergraduate Program to Educate Radiation Scientists
Sydney M. Evans, Costas Koumenis, Stephen Tuttle
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa. 19081
[email protected] is a 10-week summer internship residency designed to introduce rising college
juniors and seniors to the radiation sciences. The program was proposed based on two articles
identifying the need to recruit and retain young scientists into fields related to radiation research
(Rockwell Rad. Res. 2003, Coleman Rad. Res. 2003). SUPERS has 3 specific aims: (1) Expose
talented undergraduate students to cancer and radiation research related fields, (2) Attract students
from underserved populations; racial and ethnic minorities, socioeconomically deprived, women and
persons with disabilities. (3) Mentor students as they continue along a trajectory from undergraduate
to graduate school in cancer and radiation research. Rising juniors and seniors are accepted into the
program based on 1) academic performance, particularly in science and math courses and 2)
likelihood that a student will pursue an advanced degree that ultimately leads to a research career.
The centerpiece of the program is an individualized hypothesis driven research project. Students are
matched to a PI/mentor based on common interests (noted in the students’ application essay).
Proficiency is gained in various laboratory methods that allow the student to test their hypothesis.
There are thrice weekly didactic lecture series (formal lectures and journal clubs) to introduce
students to areas related to radiation and cancer research, providing a “global view” of how their
research fits into the larger field. The students present their work twice during the summer, first as a
chalk talk outline of their hypothesis/specific aims and methods and again at an end-of-program
retreat, presenting their results and conclusions. The retreat includes an invited speaker who
interweaves their scientific interests with biographical information pertinent to their own career path.
The program has met with considerable quantifiable success. Applicants have increased from 22 in
2010 to 68 in 2013. The quality of the applicant pool has also shown a measurable increase, in 2010
the mean GPA of the applicant pool was 3.35 (3.62 for accepted students); in 2013 the mean GPA of
the applicant pool was 3.64 (3.85 for accepted students). In 2013, applications and acceptances
came from an increased geographic area, with 32% of applications for the class of 2013 coming from
outside of Mid Atlantic region compared to 9% in 2010. Applications from racial and ethnic minority
groups have averaged 22.3%, from Pell Grant recipients 21.0%, and from females 49.1%. These
acceptance rates have mirrored that obtained for the total applicant pool. To date we have had one
disabled (deaf) student participate in the program. Rising juniors in the program were invited back for
a second summer based on merit, a total of 14 invitations have been extended and 11 (78%) of those
were accepted.
SUPERS students are listed as co-authors in 11 peer reviewed publications and 7 have given posters
and/or oral presentations at national meetings, including a Gordon Conference and SPIE. One of our
students interned at the HIMAC facility in Japan, illustrating the type of enthusiasm for radiation
research that our program can generate. Of our 29 alumni, 8 are enrolled in PhD programs, 3 are
pursuing a Masters degrees (one additional student completed her M.E.). Seven alumni are in
medical school. The remaining 10 students are taking a gap year (5), working a science lab (2), or
went into other careers, primarily business (3).
Many people work to make this program a success, including a physician who specializes in
assessing educational learning programs. An advisory panel meets every other year to critically
examine the data and provide feedback for program improvement.
We are currently writing a renewal application for the SUPERS program, with the objective of
introducing more students, especially those from URPs, to radiation/cancer research. We continue to
track alumni as they complete their advanced degrees and move forward into the early stage of their
careers.
134
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Private Sector: Dade Moeller
MISSION
WHAT WE DO
Support our clients’ efforts to protect human health
and the environment from potential exposures to
radiation and hazardous substances . Core
competencies include:
• Radiological and nuclear safety
• Public and occupational health
• Industrial hygiene
• Environmental impact analyses
• Dade Moeller Training Academy
• Medical physics
Ensure compliance with state and federal
regulations governing safety and health
Provide consulting, operational services, and training to
federal agencies and commercial businesses. Dade
Moeller has managed projects in the areas of:
• Radiation protection programs
• Radioactive material licenses
• Final status surveys
• Health care/medical physics
• D&D
• Emergency response
• Integrated safety management
• Industrial hygiene
HOW WE DO IT
OUR NEEDS!
Pursue business opportunities in the safety, health,
and environmental fields consistent with the
company's core competencies
• Identify the key drivers or events related to
the priorities of potential clients
• Constantly strive to increase client and
geographic diversification
• Recruit and hire highly qualified employees
who have relevant expertise
• Develop teams for future, undefined
opportunities
• Identify and develop long term contract
targets with strategic partners
•
•
•
•
Continued economic improvement
Continued pipeline of qualified employees
Increased diversity (e.g., gender, ethnicity,
age) of qualified employees in the pipeline
More work
135
Dade Moeller & Associates
Founded in 1994 to provide professional-level health physics and environmental protection
consulting services to government and industry, Dade Moeller & Associates (Dade Moeller)
bears the name of the late Dr. Dade W. Moeller, CHP, PE, a leading scientist and educator in
the field of health physics. The firm employs 225 highly skilled professionals across the country,
including more Certified Health Physicists (35+) than any other private entity in the US.
Dade Moeller has established an exceptional reputation providing consulting services in
radiological and nuclear safety, public and worker health, industrial hygiene, environmental
impact analyses, and training. Our staff covers a wide range of technical and scientific
disciplines and has extensive knowledge of technical requirements governing radiation
protection, permissible levels of radiation dose to workers and the public, industrial hygiene, and
environmental protection.
Dade Moeller’s primary business focus has been on helping customers manage and operate
nuclear facilities, radioactive materials, and associated equipment in accordance with
regulations, safety requirements, and technical drivers that apply to their operations. We have
successfully managed projects in the fields of health physics, medical physics, nuclear safety,
emergency response, technology assessment, radioactive waste management, Integrated
Safety Management, risk assessment and management, environmental impact analyses,
industrial hygiene, and environmental protection and compliance.
Dade Moeller provides technical management and subject matter expertise to a wide array of
clients. Our staff includes scientists and engineers with proven records of accomplishment and
established reputations for excellence. Many employees have advanced degrees, have
received national recognition in their areas of expertise, and hold board certifications in their
fields.
With regard to education and training, Dade Moeller operates the Dade Moeller Training
Academy, which offers training on a complete range of radiological topics. We offer classroom
and online training courses for safety and radiation workers, hazardous material handlers, and
professional development. As part of this effort, we interact with educational institutions to help
train and hire personnel in the radiation safety arena:



Thomas Edison State College – In the fall of 2013, we will offer an online version of our
Radiation Safety Officer course through Thomas Edison State College (Trenton, NJ).
Students will receive 3 academic credit units for the 45-hour online course.
University of Tennessee – We will offer a Radiation Instruments Workshop through UT in
August 2013. It is a 4.5-day class with 2 days at the UT campus and 2.5 days at Dade
Moeller’s laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN.
Fountainhead Community College/Roane State Community College – As our project
needs require, we work with both schools to find Junior Radiological Control
Technicians. This provides us with potential employees and allows the students to
complete requirements to be ANSI 3.1 certified.
136
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Commercial Organization: Radiation Safety & Control Services, Inc.
MISSION
• Provide highest value radiological project services
and products to nuclear, industrial, medical, and
government facilities who use radiation and/or
radioactive material.
• Develop solid solutions to unique problems for
our clients relating to the measurement,
characterization, storage, use, decommissioning,
disposal and other processes involving radiation
and/or radioactive material.
HOW WE DO IT
• We maintain a full service licensed
instrumentation calibration and repair facility.
• We develop, manufacture, and sell products which
help our clients fulfill their missions.
• We maintain a full-time consulting staff which
includes ten ABHP Certified Health Physicists and
many professional and technical experts in various
fields including Project Management, ALARA,
Hydrogeology, Soil Science, Radiochemistry,
Decommissioning, Final Status Surveys, and
Engineering.
• We provide field service staffing support on-site at
our client facilities.
WHAT WE DO
PROJECT SERVICES
• Radiological Project Management
• Technical Staffing and Consulting
INSTRUMENT SUPPORT
• Portable and Fixed Instrument Calibration and Repair
• Laboratory Analysis (including source leak testing,
sample analysis, and radon testing)
PRODUCT SALES
• Radiation Measurement Products
• Radiation Instrument Simulators
• Software to Support Nuclear and Radiological Industries
OUR NEEDS!
• Degreed Part-time and full-time radiation
safety professionals
• Qualified HP Technicians
• Individuals experienced in business
development and understand the nuclear /
radiological market.
• Surge capacity professionals for short-term
projects and emergencies
137
Radiation Safety & Control Services, Inc.
Abstract for WARP Workshop
RSCS, Inc. was established in 1989 and is a small business owned and operated by three
principals. The company is fully insured and is an equal opportunity small business
employer. Our company principals have earned Health Physics degrees from the University
of Massachusetts - Lowell in Radiological Sciences and Protection and have earned
Comprehensive Certification from the American Board of Health Physics. Our team of over
80 professionals have experience in all areas of radiological operations and
decommissioning, including nuclear power, industrial, medical, and research applications.
Our company supports all phases of the nuclear fuel cycle including operational nuclear plant
support, decommissioning, and new-build activities. Our small licensee support has included
decommissioning and operational radiation-related projects at hundreds of university,
medical, and industrial sites. Our project management and consulting group of professionals
are highly skilled and specialize in planning and solving problems related with complex and
high risk radiological work activities.
Our field professionals are supported by our radiological instrumentation consulting,
instrument repair and calibration division which supplies both field survey instrumentation
and specialty monitoring equipment to our projects. The RSCS corporate headquarters in
Stratham, New Hampshire is home to our support offices, our analytical laboratory, and our
instrument calibration and repair facility. The RSCS home office staff includes key
professionals including administrators, project managers, health physicists, radio-chemists,
geologists and laboratory and instrumentation specialists. The RSCS field support staff
includes individuals experienced in decommissioning management, radiation protection,
engineering, hydrogeology, industrial safety, and project and cost controls.
We provide full spectrum service assisting our clients with innovative and cost effective
solutions for the licensing, use, and disposition of radioactive materials and radiation
generating equipment: Our range of services include:











Radioactive Material Licensing and Program Development
Decommissioning Plan Development
Final Status Survey Plans and Implementation (MARSSIM)
Free-Release of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME)
Nuclear and Radioactive Material Program Management and Technical Support
Incident Response, On-Site and Off-Site Exposure Evaluations
Radiation Safety Program Audits
Environmental, Area/Facility and Personnel Monitoring and Reporting
Groundwater and Soils Contamination Support
Waste Minimization, Characterization, Shipping, and Disposal Management
Sample Analysis Data Management and Reporting
Our professionals have been supporting all aspects of decommissioning projects over 20
years and have extensive experience with specialty equipment and software including:
ISOCS, Microshield, Visual Sample Plan, the RESRAD family of tools, and others. We have
been on the forefront of aiding sites in the use of the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site
Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) and MARSAME. We have been implementing the
MARSSIM process for over 15 years at several of our decommissioning projects and are
currently implementing a MARSAME characterization process for the release of all turbine
building equipment at sites in the US and Europe.
138
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Private Industry: Risk Assessment Corporation
MISSION
Environmental radiological and chemical risk
assessment
WHAT WE DO
Research and implementation of environmental risk
assessment related to:
historical dose reconstruction
safety analysis and facility design
risk communication
training courses in radiological and chemical
risk assessment
HOW WE DO IT
RAC team has scientists with skills in
nuclear and chemical engineering
environmental transport modeling
exposure analysis
dosimetry
risk analysis
database management
risk communication
Scientists are advanced degreed (~1/2 Ph.D.)
OUR NEEDS!
Although we are stabilized in size, we are
looking in the future to add several persons who
are:
self motivated
creative thinkers
writing and mathematical skills
willing to work independently
Some staff are HP certified
139
WARP Workshop Abstract
July 17, 2013 - Arlington, VA
Radiation Protection Professionals:
Ideas for Strengthening the Workforce from Private Industry Perspective
John E. Till, Ph.D., President
Risk Assessment Corporation, Neeses, SC 29107
This abstract summarizes ideas related to strengthening the radiation protection professional workforce
from my perspective in private industry. These thoughts are grouped into several specific areas that
need to be addressed.
1. Developing defensible data for the argument. We need a defensible set of data on which to
base the argument for support. From my perspective, I see three areas within which radiation
protection professionals fall:
a. Maintaining the workforce that currently exists
b. Planning for the future work force
c. Unexpected events
The two key areas are planning for the future and unexpected events (I am assuming
current needs are being met). To justify additional support to plan for the future we need the
data to clearly show we are not prepared. Based on the references I have seen, these data
need to be updated before the argument can be made.
To plan for unexpected events, we must develop a system where a “surge” of professionals
is organized and continuously updated. Evidently this pool of experts does not currently exist or
we would not have issues with Fukushima.
2. Pay attention to what private industry wants. Keep these points in mind with regard to private
industry:
a. Private industry wants to play a role in educating and developing its own professionals.
i. Companies want to invest locally and not necessarily on a national scale, rather,
they prefer to place resource close to where facilities are located in order to keep
individuals they help train within their work force (trained employee retention).
ii. Private industry also wants input to curriculum, internships, and certification.
b. Resources for education and training within private industry are currently very limited
due to natural gas prices, a nuclear renaissance developing more slowly than
anticipated, and an apparently adequate supply of professionals. It is difficult to argue
that they need to invest in educating professionals on a national scale.
3. Commercial training courses are one option to enhance qualifications. RAC has had
considerable experience with commercial training courses related to radiological and chemical
risk assessment. There are elements of this training that are important to understand before
embarking on this option:
a. The fiscal climate for commercial courses is very difficult at this time due to the
continued recession and need to cut government spending
b. Attendees expect and intense and rigorous course especially with these courses being
expensive when they are conducted well.
c. International attendance at our courses has been very strong and this factor is one key
to success within the US.
140
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Private Sector: M. H. Chew & Associates (CAI)
MISSION
• Provide high-quality and extremely
credible analytical and technical
services in the areas of radiological
protection and health physics, industrial
hygiene and toxicology, occupational
safety and health, safety analysis, risk
assessments, nuclear facility design and
engineering, and professional staffing
services.
WHAT WE DO
•
Support federal agencies and their
contractors including DOE, NNSA,
NRC, CDC, NIOSH, and NASA, and
state and local governments.
•
Provide consulting and staffing
services to the private sector,
including nuclear power plants,
licensees, and manufacturers
HOW WE DO IT
• Small disadvantaged business
(minority-owned) headquartered in
Livermore, CA
• Branch offices in Richland, Idaho
Falls, Las Vegas, Arvada, Cincinnati,
Oak Ridge
• Virtual office network
• Minimal bureaucracy
• Frequent and comprehensive
information exchange
• Internal QA reviews
OUR NEEDS!
•
•
•
Staffing for the future
Long-term, stable government policy
and funding (ain’t happenin’, but
would be nice)
A different model for funding ES&H
support:
 Maintain the bomb squad
between bombings
 Direct vs. overhead funding
 Social vs. economic model
141
M. H. Chew and Associates (CAI) is a minority‐owned small disadvantaged business headquartered in Livermore, CA, with branch offices in Richland, Idaho Falls, Las Vegas, Arvada, Cincinnati, and Oak Ridge. CAI provides high‐quality, extremely credible services to clients in both the public and private sectors in the areas of radiological protection and health physics, industrial hygiene and toxicology, occupational safety and health, safety analysis, risk assessments, nuclear facility design and engineering, and professional staffing services. Founded in 1988 and for over 25 years, the firm has been providing these services to the Department of Energy (DOE), its prime contractors and other government agencies including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as to state and local governments, and private sector NRC licensees. In recent years, along with the company's established reputation for radiological protection and health physics, industrial hygiene and toxicology, occupational safety and health, safety analysis, risk assessments, nuclear system engineering, technology and design support, CAI has added a corporate emphasis on providing technical services to support our nation’s most advanced programs and major projects including Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) for NASA’s Johnson Space Center; nuclear, systems and process engineers for the Plutonium Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility (PDCF), the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility, the Advanced Fuel Cycle Facility (AFCF) and the UREX+ Demo Plant; scientists and security specialists to assist LLNL in the development of an integrated approach to address security and safety requirements and industrial hygienists, fire protection specialists, safety professionals and USQ preparers for LLNL’s 10CFR851 compliance program and Building 332 USQ processes. As with other employers in the radiological sciences, CAI is concerned about maintaining capability and competency as the most senior and experienced personnel retire out. Although there appears to be an adequate number of students for the near term, they cannot immediately fill the roles of their predecessors. Internships, co‐operative education, fellowships and practica are needed to impart the hands‐on experience and knowledge needed in the future workforce. However, there is a more serious problem: the radiological resources of the federal government were sorely tested by the Fukushima Dai‐
Ichi nuclear power plant accident, primarily in concern for 80,000 U.S. military personnel and dependents stationed in Japan, some 8,000 miles distant. A comparable accident or radiological attack in the U.S. would be extremely difficult to manage to say the least. This is the old question of how one pays to train and support the bomb squad in between infrequent bomb threats. We believe a new funding mechanism is needed in which ES&H personnel, especially at the national laboratories, are independently and directly funded, rather than through an overhead tax on research or production dollars, which puts the ES&H function in direct competition with its customers for support. An effective safety culture is very hard to establish under this mechanism, whereas direct funding could permit developing a mutually beneficial social, rather than strictly economic, relationship between ES&H and research/production staff. In addition, this will help maintain a well‐trained and highly competent cadre of ES&H professionals who will be available in a national radiological emergency. 142
1. What is a radiation professional?
a. By Discipline
Radiation Protection Program Implementation/Management
Regulatory compliance/inspections
Radiological Engineering
Radiological Assessment
Environmental Monitoring
Decontamination/Decommissioning
Environmental Restoration
Waste Management
Radiological Emergency Response/Management
Diagnostic and therapeutic medicine
Instrumentation and dosimetry
Education
Research and Development
c. By Occupational Classification
Health Physicist
Medical Health Physicist
Medical Physicist
Physical Scientist
Radiation Safety Officer
Radiation Scientist
Radiation Technologist
b. By Practice Area
Academia/Universities
Consultants
Government, local
Government, state
Government, Federal
Industry
Laboratory, analytical
Laboratory, research & development
Medicine
Utilities
d. By Certication
ABHP
ACR
SNM
ABMP
ARRT
NRRPT
e. By Education and Training
Health Physics
Medical Physics
Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear Physics
Nuclear and Radiochemistry
Public Health
Radiobiology
Radiological Engineering
143
Participants for “Where are the Radiation Professionals” (WARP) Workshop
July 17, 2013
Mr. David Adler
American Society for Radiation Oncology
Director of Government Relations
8280 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive
Suite 500
Fairfax, VA 22031
[email protected]
703.839.7362
Mr. David Allard
Director, Bureau of Radiation Protection
Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental
Protection
Rachel Carson Office Building
P.O. Box 8469
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8469
[email protected]
717.787.2480
Dr. Isaf Al-Nabulsi
Senior Technical Advisor
Japan Program Manager
Office of Health and Safety
U. S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585
[email protected]
301.903.9238
Mr. Ralph Andersen
Director, Health Physics
& Low-Level Waste
Nuclear Energy Institute
1204 F Street N.W., Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20004
[email protected]
202.739.8111
Dr. Cindy Atkins-Duffin
Assistant Director for Nuclear Matters
Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP)
Executive Office of the President
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
1650 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20503
[email protected]
202.456.2144
Dr. Judith Bader
National Institutes of Health
Managing Editor, REMM
http://www.remm.nlm.gov
[email protected]
301.320.6436
Ms. Karen Barcal
Team Leader, Radiation Protection Program
Sandia National Laboratories
1515 Eubanks SE
Albuquerque, NM. 87125
[email protected]
505.284.1742
Dr. Julie A Bentz
Director, Strategic Capabilities Policy
National Security Staff
EEOB Room 381
1650 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington DC, 20502
[email protected]
202.456.2289
Dr. Eric Bernhard
Chief, Radiotherapy Development Branch
Radiation Research Program
Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis
National Cancer Institute/National Institutes
of Health
9609 Medical Center Dr.
Rockville 20850 MSC 9727
[email protected]
240.276.5704
Dr. Daniel Blumenthal
Department of Energy/Radiation Emergency
Assistance Center/Training Site
1000 independence Ave., SW
Room GH-060
Washington, DC 20585
[email protected]
202.287.5269
144
Dr. Edward Bluth
Chairman Emeritus, Department of
Radiology
Ochsner Medical Institutions
1319 Jefferson Highway
New Orleans, Louisiana 70121
[email protected]
504.842.3470
Dr. John Boice
National Council on Radiation Protection
and Measurements, and
Vanderbilt University
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 400
Bethesda, MD 20814
[email protected]
301.657.2652 ext. 19
Mr. Mike Boyd
US Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building, Mail Code 6608J
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
[email protected]
202.343.9395
Dr. Richard Brey
Department of Department of Nuclear
Engineering and Health Physics
Idaho State University
785 South 8th Street,
Pocatello, ID 83209-8106
[email protected]
208.282.2667
Dr. Terry Brock
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
MS CSB-3A07
Washington, D.C. 20555-0001
[email protected]
301.251.7487
Dr. James Cassata
National Council on Radiation Protection
and Measurements
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 400
Bethesda, MD 20814
[email protected]
301.657.2652 ext 20
Dr. Norman Coleman
Radiation Oncology Branch
Head, Experimental Therapeutics Section
Senior Investigator
Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute
Building 10 - Hatfield CRC, Room B2-3561
Bethesda, MD 20892-1682
[email protected]
301.496.5457
Dr. Donald Cool
Senior Advisor
Radiation Safety and International Liaison
MS T8F42
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, D.C. 20555
[email protected]
301.415.6347
Mr. John Crapo
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education/
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
4301 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, Virginia
[email protected]
202.955.3652
Dr. Sydney Evans
Professor of Radiation Oncology
University of Pennsylvania
180E John Morgan Building
3620 Hamilton Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104
[email protected]
215.898.0074
Mrs. Lynne Fairobent
Manager of Legislative and Regulatory
Affairs
American Association of Physicists in
Medicine
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740
[email protected]
301.209.3364
145
Mr. John Fomous
Dade Moeller
2750 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 501
Fairfax, VA 22031
[email protected]
703.207.6904 ext 3205
Mr. Per H. Halvorsen
Chief, Radiation Therapy Physics
Radiation Oncology
Lahey Clinic
41 Mall Road
Burlington, MA 01805
[email protected]
781.744.3628
Dr. Kathryn Held
Department of Radiation Oncology
Massachusetts General Hospital
Cox 302, 55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114
[email protected]
617.726.8161
Dr. Kathryn Higley
Professor and Head
Department of Nuclear Engineering
& Radiation Health Physics
Oregon State University
100 Radiation Center
Corvallis, OR 97331-5902
[email protected]
541.737.0675
CAPT David Lesser
Deputy Director
AFRRI
4301 Jones Bridge Road
Bethesda, MD 20814-4799
[email protected]
301.295.3596
Dr. Martha Linet
Chief, Radiation Epidemiology Branch
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and
Genetics
National Cancer Institute
National Institutes of Health
Room 7E458, MSC 9778
9609 Medical Center Drive
Bethesda MD 20892-9778
[email protected]
240.276.7379
Dr. Bert Maidment
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases
Radiation Nuclear Countermeasures
Program
BG 6610 RM 5321
6610 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda MD 20817
[email protected]
301.594.0641
Dr. Noelle Metting
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science
SC-23.2 Germantown Building
1000 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20585
[email protected]
301.903.8309
CDR Chad Mitchell
U.S. Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Undersea
Medicine/
Radiation Health M3B3
7700 Arlington Blvd., Suite 5128
Falls Church, VA 22042
[email protected]
703.681.9285 DSN 761
CAPT Mike Noska
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Office of the Commissioner
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
W032 / 3168
Silver Spring, MD 20993
[email protected]
301.796.8313
146
Dr. Pari V. Pandharipande
Associate Director, MGH Institute for
Technology Assessment
Abdominal Radiologist
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
101 Merrimac St., 10th FL
Boston, MA 02114
[email protected]
617.724.4944
Mr. Alan Perrin
Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building, Mail Code 6608J
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W
Washington, DC 20460
[email protected]
202.343.9775
Dr. Joann Prisciandaro
University of Michigan Health System - Ann
Arbor
1500 East Medical Center Drive
Floor B2, Room C490
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5010
[email protected]
734.936.4309
Ms. Kathy Pryor
Chief Health Physicist
Radiation Protection Division
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
902 Battelle Boulevard
P.O. Box 999, MSIN J2-40
Richland, WA 99352 USA
[email protected]
509.371.7888
Dr. Andrew Salner
Director, Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center
Hartford Hospital
80 Seymour Street
Hartford, CT 06102
[email protected]
860.545.2852
Dr. Steven Schaffer
Sr. Health Physicist
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of Regulatory Research
Radiation Protection Branch
[email protected]
301.251.7473
Dr. David Schauer
National Council on Radiation Protection
and Measurements
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 400
Bethesda, MD 20814
[email protected]
301.379.3388
Mr. Fred Straccia
Executive Director, Principal
Radiation Safety & Control Services, Inc.
91 Portsmouth Avenue
Stratham, NH 03885
[email protected]
800.525.8339 x-227
Dr. Julie M. Sullivan
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
CBRNE Branch, Office of Emergency
Management
Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Preparedness and Response
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
200 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20201
[email protected]
202.578.4656
Dr. John Till
President
Risk Assessment Corporation
417 Till Road
Neeses, SC 29107-9545
[email protected]
803.536.4883
147
Dr. Richard E. Toohey
Consulting Health Physicist
M. H. Chew & Associates
114 Emory Lane
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
[email protected]
865-617-4398
Dr. Jacqueline Williams
Department of Radiation Oncology
University of Rochester Medical College
601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 647,
Rochester, NY 14642
[email protected]
585.275.1687
MAJ Jama VanHorne-Sealy
Uniformed Services University of the Health
Sciences
4301 Jones Bridge Rd, A2020
Bethesda, MD 20815
[email protected]
301.295.3390
Mr. Michael Worley
Director for Innovative Nuclear Research
(NE-42)
Office of Nuclear Energy
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20555
[email protected]
301.903.9496
Dr. John Villforth
211 Russell Avenue, Apt. 54
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
[email protected]
240.361.3187
Dr. Paul Wallner
Associate Executive Director for Radiation
Oncology
The American Board of Radiology
5013 Cedar Croft Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
[email protected]
301.897.2091
Dr. Liana Watson (via phone)
Chief Governance and Development Officer
American Society of Radiologic
Technologists
15000 Central Ave SE
Albuquerque NM 87123-3909
[email protected]
800.444.2778, Ext. 1222
Dr. Patricia R. Worthington
Director
Office of Health and Safety (HS-10)
Office of Health, Safety and Security
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585
E-mail: [email protected]
301.903.6929
Dr. Mark C. Wrobel
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
DNDO Stop 0550
245 Murray LN SW
Washington, DC 20528-0550
[email protected]
202.254.7629
Dr. Robert Whitcomb
Radiation Studies Branch, EHHE, NCEH,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
4770 Buford Highway, NE (MS-F59)
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
[email protected]
770.488.3652
148
NAS Workshop - Committee on Research Directions in
Human Biological Effects of Low Level Ionizing
Radiation - July 18-19, 2013 – Washington DC
Where are the Radiation Professionals?
(WARP) Initiative
John D. Boice Jr.
National Council on Radiation Protection and
Measurements (NCRP)
Vanderbilt University, Dept. of Medicine
July 19, 2013
[email protected]
http://NCRPonline.org
Outline
 Introduction
 Goal
 Approach
 Workshop 17-18 July 2013
 Military Significance of AFRRI
CDR Chad Mitchell, MSC USN
Participants Today – Keeping with
the ‘Service’ Focus
John Boice
David Schauer
CDR Chad Mitchell
John Crapo
President NCRP,
Prof Medicine,
Vanderbilt
Executive Director
Emeritus NCRP,
Adjunct Associate
Professor,
Georgetown and
UNLV
Medical Service Corps, U.S.
Navy, Radiation Health
Specialty Leader Deputy
Director, Fleet Programs
Associate Director for
National Security and
Emergency
Management, ORISE
WARP Goal
A “Manhattan Project”
(?) to replenish the
dwindling, if not
exhausted, supply of
radiation professionals
in the United States
WARP Workshop
Setting the Stage
• Back to the Future – John Villforth
• HPS Task Force Report and Survey – Kathryn Pryor
• APS Nuclear Workforce Readiness Report – Lynne Fairobent
32 individual presentations using similar (Quad Charts &
Abstracts)
Breakout Sessions
•Government
•Professional societies
•Universities
•Private sector
Wrap up
WARP Approach
Workshop with representatives from:
•
•
•
•
•
government agencies (25)
professional societies (11)
universities
(7)
private sector
(4)
NCRP
(3)
A National Effort
Snapshot of Attendees
ASTRO
CRCPD
HPS
RRS
OSU
Harvard
Penn
AFRRI
DHS
DoD
DOE
EPA
FDA
NCI
NIH
NIAID
USUHS
Snapshot of Attendes
AAPM
ABR
ACR
ASRT
NEI
NRRPT
ISU
ORISE
CDC
HHS
OSTP
RAC
CAI
Moeller
NCRP
Snapshot of Attendees
MGEN Julie A. Bentz
Director, Strategic
Capabilities Policy
National Security Staff at
the White House.
Dr. Cindy Atkins-Duffin
Assistant Director for Nuclear
Matters, Office of Science
and Technology Policy
(OSTP), Executive Office of
the President
Example of Quad Chart – All are available and will be Published
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Scientific Society – Radiation Research Society
MISSION
•
•
•
To encourage in the broadest manner the
advancement of radiation research in all
areas of the natural sciences;
To facilitate cooperative research between
the disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology
and medicine in the study of the properties
and effects of radiation;
To promote dissemination of knowledge in
these and related fields through publications,
meetings and educational symposia.
HOW WE DO IT
•
•
Hold annual meeting attended by national and
international radiation researchers
Offer facilities for “Scholars-in-Training”
(SITs), consisting of:


•
Discounted membership and registration rates
1 day workshop for SITs held prior to annual
meeting
Provide financial support for radiation
meetings attended by our SITs (e.g. Gordon
conference, ERR, NCRP, etc.) as well as
providing financial support for International
Congress of Radiation Research
WHAT WE DO
Serve as a home for a broad spectrum of
researchers in all branches of the radiation sciences
OUR NEEDS!
Junior faculty members
•Providing opportunities for career development
(generation of faculty positions)
•Assistance with grant funding (small pilot
grants, bridging funds)
Senior faculty members
•Job security
•Bridging funds
•Acknowledgement of radiation as a viable field
Declining Society Members
Radiation Research Society
900
Associate member
Emeritus member
Full member
SIT (junior, senior)
800
Number of members per class
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Declining Society Memberships
Health Physics Society
Thanks, Armin Ansari
Declining Numbers of Graduates in Health Physics Programs
MISSION
WHAT WE DO
HOW WE DO IT
OUR NEEDS!
Thanks, Lynne Fairobent, AAPM
7/17/13
NCRP WARP meeting
Budget Model for Academic Programs: Survival of the Revenue Generators*
100%
Budget Mix
Capped?
Donations, IP
Commercialization
Zero?
0%
Past
Present
Tuition $
Other $
State $
Future
*Conventional wisdom: Undergraduate programs bring in tuition $; Graduate programs lose $
Thanks, Kathryn Higley, OSU
18 July at NCRP
Preliminary Overview
• Report title: Where Are the
Radiation Professionals--Today,
Today
Tomorrow,
Tomorrow and in an Emergency?
Emergency
• Baby boomer retirements will
severely affect the number of
radiation professionals available for
medicine, nuclear power, national
defense, environmental restoration,
and emergency response.
Delayed maintenance
18 July at NCRP
Preliminary Overview
Needs and Tasks:
•
Data gathering to monitor supply and demand
•
Improve coordination among government, academia, and the
private sector to ensure national capability to manage
radiological incidents and maintain the radiation sciences
enterprise
•
Continued federal support of academic education programs
and basic research in radiobiology, medical countermeasures,
improved detection capability and nuclear forensics
•
Conclusion: We need radiation professionals who can
develop the new science required for the future, ensure the
safe use of radiation for the health and welfare of the US
population and respond to radiological incidents.
Multifaceted needs require multifaceted approaches
Radiation professionals
General
interest in
STEM,
and/or in
field
Education,
basic
Education, Rad
fundamentals
Physics,
Engineering
Career path
Mentor
Career
progression
Education,
specialize
Training,
experience
Professional
certification
Radionuclides
Chemistry
Monitor needs,
availability of job,
type of trainees:
Biology,
medicine
Safety
Regulatory
Predict and provide
needs and try to
balance
Recognize what
isn’t predictable
Environment
Threat
Policy
Education
18 July at NCRP
Preliminary Overview
• In an Emergency: a surge capacity needs to
be developed through better coordination of
federal assets and a national "reserve corps"
(under PHS?) of Radiation Professionals.
WARP Next Steps
•
•
•
•
Draft NCRP Statement
Circulate to WARP participants
NCRP Statement approval
Distribution including multiple
journal publications (HP, RR,
JRP, JACR)
• Discussions with
decision/policy makers
Thanks
• i
NATIONAL CRISIS:
WHERE ARE THE RADIATION
PROFESSIONALS? (WARP)
A Clarion Call ?

A National Effort is
Needed.
DoD Quad Chart and
Military Significance of AFRRI
CDR Chad Mitchell, MSC USN
National Crisis: Where are the Radiation Professionals?
Government Organization: Department of Defense
MISSION
DoD-The mission of the Department of Defense is
to provide the military forces needed to deter war
and to protect the security of our country. The
department's headquarters is at the Pentagon.
Health Physics within DoD - Provide uniquely
qualified professional scientists and leaders with
expertise in radiological health to protect and
defend the force
HOW WE DO IT
Active duty, Civil Service, and Contract Staff
- Scientists, inspectors, safety officers, compliance
officers, medical and product reviewers
Regulations
- Grounded in CFR requirements
- Specific to unique operating environments
Training
- Recognized professional degrees/certifications
- DoD/service-specific requirements
WHAT WE DO
Ensure the safe use of radioactive materials and
radiation-producing equipment.
- Battlefield environments
- Installations within the standing infrastructure
- Equipment containing radioactive materials from
small commodities to ships, submarines & air craft
- Non-destructive testing
- Medical use/research
- Non-ionizing radiation sources
- Environmental cleanup issues
- Dose reconstruction
OUR NEEDS!
- Continuous recruitment
- Continuing education/certification
Environmental/remediation
Radio-epidemiology
Medical physics advances
Regulatory oversight
Internal dosimetry
Dosimetry/detection
Consequence management
- Distance learning opportunities to provide formal
education to individuals with extensive experience
Military Significance of AFRRI
No other military assignment has fostered as much inter‐governmental cooperation:
‐ Radiological exercises and disaster drills
‐ Test site surveys: Johnston Atoll, Nuclear Test Site, etc
‐ Support for real world emergencies: Fukushima, TMI
In the Navy alone, over 50 officers have ‐ Developed projects for M.S. and Ph.D. theses
‐ Worked at national labs: LANL, LBNL, Oak Ridge, Hanford
‐ Held positions of influence with HPS, NCRP and other organizations
Influenced US government policy through
‐ Verification of nuclear weapons treaties
‐ LD 50 measurements relevant to discontinuation of neutron bomb development